Cleveland businessman Bobby George charged with attempted murder, rape, kidnapping

Cleveland area businessman Bobby George, facing nine felony charges, turned himself in to authorities Tuesday morning and was released after posting a bond following a hearing in Cleveland Municipal Court.

George, 43, owns several Cleveland-area businesses, including TownHall and Harry Buffalo. The charges against him include attempted murder, four counts of kidnapping and one count of rape involving a woman with whom he had a relationship.

George's attorney Kevin Spellacy said Monday his client should never have been charged and the Cleveland's prosecutor's office "demonstrated incompetence" and rushed to judgment in bringing the case.

"Anybody who has been practicing law and would do a thorough job would have done a better investigation of this before they issued any charges," he said. "I’m extremely critical of the city of Cleveland in this matter."

George's ex-girlfriend told police that between November of 2023 and July, he strangled her, held her to the ground and slammed her head into a living room table multiple times and used a gun to force her to get out of a car and return to a residence. He also refused to let her leave the residence and engaged in sexual conduct with her by force or threat, according to court documents.

George turned his passport over to the court Tuesday and agreed to abide by a protection order that requires him to stay 500 feet away from the alleged victim.

George's attorney said his client's notoriety contributed to the city's decision to press charges.

"If my client’s last name was Smith rather than George, we wouldn’t be talking today," he said.

The city handled this case the same way it handles all cases, said Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin, in a statement released to Ideastream Monday.

"It’s imperative for the public to know that this case was treated according to standard protocols like any other case — regardless of the defendant’s name, title, or occupation," Griffin said via a city spokesperson. "The investigation remains ongoing."

The ex-girlfriend who filed the accusations was a woman with whom George was romantically involved. The woman told police she was in a relationship with George for almost two years and lived with him for part of that time, according to the police incident report.

"The justice system should be better than that and in this instance, it failed, and it failed from the top from the city of Cleveland so far," Spellacy said. "I’m anxious for this to get to the county where it can get a proper review and a proper investigation."

Griffin said the investigation was handled by the Division of Police's domestic violence unit.

"Information is gathered, evidence is presented to the prosecutor, and an objective decision is made solely based on the facts," he wrote. "This is a case that involves multiple incidents and, in this instance, several pieces of evidence were obtained before a charging decision was made."