A restaurant owner who refused to allow his Ohio restaurants to participate in the Olympics after claiming the “Last Supper” costume controversy at the opening ceremony mocked Christians has been arrested on charges of attempted murder, rape, kidnapping and more.
Businessman Bobby George, 43, is accused of repeatedly and cruelly abusing a woman he lived with, including taunting her because she prayed to God not to die during one of the numerous alleged assaults he suffered while the two lived under the same roof.
“Do you think God is going to help you?” he allegedly taunted the 25-year-old victim as he allegedly stuffed a towel down her throat and strangled her, according to police records obtained by Cleveland.com.
George, of Lakewood, Ohio, turned himself in to authorities after police issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday. He is accused of attempted murder, rape, aggravated assault, four counts of kidnapping and two counts of strangulation, the local newspaper reported.
He appeared in Cleveland Municipal Court on Tuesday and was released on $200,000 bail, but under a protective order issued by the judge, he is barred from contacting the victim, whom he is accused of assaulting multiple times from September 2023 to last month.
The victim “fears for her life” after being repeatedly attacked, a Cleveland police investigator wrote in court documents cited by the local news agency.
In the first attack identified by police, George – who owns Cleveland restaurants TownHall and Barley House – allegedly pushed the woman against a kitchen cabinet, causing the cabinet’s glass to shatter.
Over the next month, police say, he pinned her to the ground, choked her until she couldn’t breathe, and repeatedly slammed her head on a table. Court records say she suffered blurred vision and ringing in her ears, which were left bloody.
“The defendant subsequently had the victim treated by his office nurse, who diagnosed her with post-concussion syndrome,” the Cleveland Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit wrote in the arrest warrant, according to Cleveland.com.
In another alleged attack, George allegedly held a gun to the woman’s stomach and then forced her to get back into the car after she tried to flee her apartment in her car, the arrest warrant states.
The rape charge stems from another attack in which he allegedly pushed her to the ground and held her down while raping her after she got out of the shower, according to the arrest warrant.
Then in June came the incident in which prayer was mocked.
The victim hid in a closet and prayed for her life, but the restaurant owner dragged her out, stuffed a cloth down her throat, spat on her, bit her nose, choked her and pushed her around the house while refusing to let her go, police said in the documents.
“The defendant pulled her hair, strangled her and threw her throughout the house,” the Cleveland police detective wrote.
According to court documents, after admitting some of the allegations against him, George allegedly apologized and told the victim in an audio recording that he loved her.
His attorney, Kevin Spellacy, told Cleveland.com that the charges against his client should never have been brought, suggesting he was targeted because of his well-known name in the community. He denied the allegations against George.
Cleveland’s legal director said the case was thoroughly investigated and treated no differently than other cases.
“It is important for the public to know that this case was handled like any other case, following standard procedures – regardless of the defendant’s name, title or occupation. The investigation is ongoing,” Legal Director Mark Griffin said in a statement to WKYC.
The local NBC affiliate reported earlier this month that George refused to broadcast the Paris Olympics on the televisions in his stores because the “Last Supper” was allegedly shown during the opening ceremony.
“The depiction of the ‘Last Supper’ was handled with an irresponsible level of disrespect and insulted the Christian faith,” said signs on the restaurants, according to the broadcaster.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788.
