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Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley's office has recused from the high-profile case of Bobby George, who was arrested by Cleveland police on charges of attempted murder, rape and kidnapping in Cleveland Municipal Court. The case was then transferred to Cuyahoga County court.
Jane Hanlin of Jefferson County has been appointed as Special Prosecutor, which will involve deciding whether to present evidence to a grand jury and what criminal charges are appropriate. Presiding Cuyahoga County Judge Brendan Sheehan signed the order yesterday.
George's father Tony has been a campaign contributor to O'Malley, which drove the decision.
"It was to avoid any appearance of conflict," O'Malley told Scene. "I don't believe I've ever met Bobby, but his dad was a campaign contributor. So we brought in an independent prosecutor from a different county."
The decision had been in the works for a week, O'Malley said, and involved finding someone with the ability to handle the case, who wasn't conflicted out of the matter, and whose schedule allowed them to take it on.
Calls for this exact move have been prevalent since George's arrest, including from Matthew Ahn, who challenged O'Malley in the last primary race for the office.
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Jane Hanlin of Jefferson County has been appointed as Special Prosecutor, which will involve deciding whether to present evidence to a grand jury and what criminal charges are appropriate. Presiding Cuyahoga County Judge Brendan Sheehan signed the order yesterday.
George's father Tony has been a campaign contributor to O'Malley, which drove the decision.
"It was to avoid any appearance of conflict," O'Malley told Scene. "I don't believe I've ever met Bobby, but his dad was a campaign contributor. So we brought in an independent prosecutor from a different county."
The decision had been in the works for a week, O'Malley said, and involved finding someone with the ability to handle the case, who wasn't conflicted out of the matter, and whose schedule allowed them to take it on.
Calls for this exact move have been prevalent since George's arrest, including from Matthew Ahn, who challenged O'Malley in the last primary race for the office.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
