Zerola acquitted of assaulting Boston police officer

LYNN – Lynn native and Boston attorney Gary Zerola reiterated his support for the American criminal justice system Thursday after being acquitted of public urination and assaulting a police officer – his fourth trial acquittal in the past year.”There is no bigger believer in the American criminal justice system than me,” said Zerola, 37, who was acquitted on three separate rape charges in Massachusetts and Florida this year. Prosecutors in his most recent case were not allowed to tell jurors about his past trials.The former prosecutor once named People magazine’s “Most Eligible Bachelor” and dubbed to star in an ABC reality television show was arrested June 18 for urinating in public, assault and battery on a police officer and disturbing the peace on State Street in Boston shortly after the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers.Shortly after a jury of five women and one man found him innocent late Thursday afternoon in Boston Municipal Court, Zerola told The Item prosecutors offered to drop most of the charges against him on Wednesday but he refused to take a deal.”I never touched that cop. I said, ‘no,” Zerola said.Zerola’s statement contradicts a news release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office on Thursday that says Zerola and his attorney, Raymond Buso, urged a judge to accept a plea deal as jurors deliberated. Zerola says prosecutors offered the reduction of charges after seeing photographs of his injuries following his arrest.The lawyer, who took the stand in his own defense, claims that on the night in question he was fumbling through his wallet when he heard someone running at him from behind – and denies urinating in public.”I was not relieving myself. I was counting money, standing on the corner,” he said. “When I heard footsteps coming up behind me, as I testified to, I just ran. I didn’t look back to see who it was. Then I got hit in the head with a baton? As soon as I saw it was a cop I didn’t move.”Zerola says his attorney obtained a surveillance video from 53 State St., near where the incident occurred, that shows Zerola running about 60 feet in front of the officer at the time. He says the district attorney’s office never obtained the tape on its own.Zerola says his family and friends were in the courtroom during the trial, which was comforting to him.”It’s good when family and friends stick by you,” he said. “I’m going to make better decisions. I didn’t do anything wrong but I shouldn’t have been out at 1:45 in the morning when I have to be at work the next day.”Jake Wark, spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Conley, confirmed Zerola was acquitted Thursday but said he could not comment further on the case.Attorney Michael Natola and Zerola represented Kathy Hilton, who was recently acquitted of setting a house on fire in Lynn that killed five people in 1999. Zerola is currently representing a Lynn murder suspect among other clients.