An Ohio restaurant owner who refused to promote the Olympics at his restaurant, claiming the cross-dressing controversy at the opening ceremony’s “Last Supper” mocked Christians, has been arrested on charges including attempted murder, rape and kidnapping.
Businessman Bobby George, 43, is accused of horrific abuse of his live-in woman, including mocking her for praying to God to spare his life during one of several attacks which allegedly took place while the pair lived under the same roof.
According to police records, he reportedly choked the 25-year-old victim by forcing a towel down her throat while taunting her, asking, “Do you think God will help you?” Retrieved from Cleveland.com.
According to local newspapers, George, of Lakewood, Ohio, turned himself in to authorities after police issued an arrest warrant on Friday charging him with attempted murder, rape, assault, four counts of kidnapping and two counts of strangulation.
He appeared in Cleveland Municipal Court on Tuesday. He was released on $200,000 bail. — but a protective order granted by a judge prohibits him from having any contact with the victim, whom he allegedly attacked multiple times between September 2023 and last month.
In court documents cited by local media, a Cleveland police detective wrote that after the repeated attacks the victim “feared for his life.”
In the first attack documented by police, George, owner of Cleveland restaurants Town Hall and Barley House, allegedly threw the woman into a kitchen cabinet, breaking the cabinet’s glass.
The following month, police say he pinned her to the ground, choked her until she couldn’t breathe, and slammed her head repeatedly against a table. She suffered blurred vision, ringing in her ears and bleeding, according to court documents.
“The defendant then had a nurse at his workplace treat the victim and diagnose her with post-concussion syndrome,” the Cleveland Police Domestic Violence Unit wrote in an arrest warrant, according to Cleveland.com.
In a separate assault, George is accused of pointing a gun at a woman’s abdomen and forcing her back into the home after she tried to flee the home in a vehicle, according to an arrest warrant.
According to the warrant, the alleged rape stems from a separate assault in which he forced the woman to the ground as she came out of the shower, held her down and raped her.
Then in June, an incident occurred in which prayer was mocked.
Police documents say the victim hid in a closet and begged for her life, but the restaurateur dragged her out, forced a cloth down her throat, spat on her, bit her nose, choked her, pushed her around the house and refused to let her leave.
“The defendant pulled her hair, choked her and threw her across the house,” a Cleveland police detective wrote.
According to court documents, George reportedly admitted to some of the allegations against him, then apologized and conveyed his love to the victim in an audio recording.
His lawyer, Kevin Spellacy, told Cleveland.com that such charges should never have been brought against his client and suggested he was targeted because of his well-known name in the community. He denies the allegations against George.
Cleveland’s law chief said the case was thoroughly investigated and handled no differently than any other case.
“Regardless of the defendant’s name, title or occupation, it is essential that the public know that this case was handled with standard procedure like any other case. The investigation is ongoing,” said Attorney General Mark Griffin. in a statement to WKYC..
A local NBC affiliate reported earlier this month that President George had refused to show the Olympics on his restaurant’s television after reports that “The Last Supper” had been depicted during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
“The depiction of ‘The Last Supper’ was treated with an irresponsible level of disrespect that is an affront to the Christian faith,” the station said in a sign at the restaurant.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the issues discussed in this article, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
