Bobby George Criminal Case Looks to End With Plea to Single Charge of Attempted Strangulation

More than a year after Bobby George was arrested by Cleveland police on nine felony charges including rape, attempted murder, and kidnapping, the restaurateur and businessman now faces a single charge of attempted strangulation in the case.

The new charge came via information, which means the defendant intends to plead guilty. It appears the prosecution will drop its pursuit of all other charges in exchange.

George is set to be arraigned Thursday morning in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Special prosecutor Jane Hanlin was appointed by Michael O’Malley, who recused his office from the case due to the George family’s previous donations to his campaigns, once it was transferred from Cleveland municipal court to Cuyahoga County court. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon. Hanlin had faced questions in the case over the past year, including why it hadn’t yet been presented to a grand jury.

George’s legal team, in a statement to Scene, said: “All charges against Bobby George were dropped except one, which was adjusted to attempted strangulation. This says everything you need to know about the initial charges and the people who brought them.”

The original charges cover incidents dating back to November 2023, including allegations that he strangled the victim after shoving her head against a table, that he pointed a gun at her while she was attempting to leave a residence, that he shoved a towel down her throat, that he said “You think God is going to help you?” as she hid in a closet at their house, and that he raped her. The victim was granted a protection order.

Kevin Spellacy, George’s lawyer in the criminal case, had from the start claimed the charges were trumped up by an overzealous law department.

“It’s 101 to me. I think the last name made a difference in this instance,” he told News 5 Cleveland last year. “In this instance, Mr. George is being treated extremely unfairly by an incompetent City of Cleveland law department with a lack of investigation. They didn’t do their homework.”