Accused rapist posts $100G bail

LYNN – A Suffolk Superior Court judge lowered the bail for Lynn native and celebrity lawyer Gary Zerola on Wednesday, allowing the accused rapist to walk free after posting $100,000 cash bail.Zerola, 36, is going on trial Jan. 3 to face four counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, kidnapping, indecent assault and battery and witness intimidation.The charges stem from two separate incidents involving 19-year-old women Zerola allegedly met at Boston bars in 2004 and 2006.While Zerola was on probation for those cases, he was caught violating his probation in October after traveling to Miami, Fla., where he was again accused of rape.In that case, police said Zerola drugged and raped an 18-year-old college student whom he had met at a bar.Even though he denied the sexual assault charges, Zerola admitted to traveling to Florida with his girlfriend so he could attend a Patriots vs. Dolphins football game.After Zerola was rearrested and returned to Massachusetts, a judge initially revoked his bail.His trial date for the Boston rapes was also pushed back from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3, 2008.On Wednesday, Judge Regina Quinlan granted his request for bail reduction, ultimately setting him free until his trial begins.Zerola was an Essex County prosecutor, then became a Suffolk County prosecutor until he resigned in 2000 to open his own private practice. He took on several high-profile cases, including that of accused Lynn rapist Blake Colella, who was acquitted in 2005.Zerola was once tapped to star in the ABC show “The Bachelor” and was named People magazine’s “Most Eligible Bachelor” in 2003.