Former radio host faces rape charges

MALDEN – The WRKO radio host who called Lynn “a dump” has been charged with rape.Reese Hopkins, 39, was charged Thursday morning and ordered held without bail on an outstanding criminal warrant for rape out of New York City, according to a criminal complaint.Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Spokesman Jennifer Kushner said once Hopkins is extradited to Manhattan he would be arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of rape in the first degree and rape in the second degree.Kushner said according to New York Law, first-degree rape is defined as a person 18 years old or older having sexual intercourse with someone who is younger than 13 years old. Second-degree rape is defined as when a person 18 years or older has sexual intercourse with a person who is younger than 15 years old.Kushner said the DA’s office is unable to provide a copy of the criminal complaint or comment further until after Hopkins is arraigned.Hopkins pleaded innocent in Malden District Court on the fugitive from justice without warrant charge on Thursday. According to court documents, Hopkins is waiving extradition and his attorney said he is scheduled to return to New York today.Hopkins, a Malden resident, was arrested Wednesday night in Malden. His attorney Paul Mishkin said the alleged New York incident occurred four years ago but the alleged victim only recently reported it.Hopkins caused an uproar July 10 when he was speaking about state aid to municipalities and referred to Lynn as “a dump.”Ward 7 City Councilor Rick Ford called a station producer and left an angry voicemail message inviting Hopkins to a boxing match. The message, which included Ford saying he wanted to “pound his head in,” referring to Hopkins, was broadcast to local media outlets the same day it was recorded.The men eventually decided to settle their dispute with Ford giving Hopkins a tour of Lynn, but that meeting never occurred.In a cost-cutting measure, WRKO parent company Entercom laid off 10 employees, including Hopkins, from its Boston-owned stations WRKO-AM and WAAF-FM last week.Hopkins’ mid-morning talk show will be replaced by the nationally syndicated Laura Ingrham show.Hopkins in published reports said he was told his layoff was for financial reasons and it had nothing to do with his job performance.