CLEVELAND — Prominent Cleveland restaurant owner Bobby George pleaded guilty to attempted strangulation during a court hearing Monday afternoon.
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joy Kennedy sentenced George to probation for five years. George will not serve jail time unless he breaks the conditions of his probation. He is not to have contact with the victim or the victim's family for five years.
Watch the sentencing:
Attempted strangulation is an F5 felony.
George was indicted by information, which means he was charged directly by prosecutors after waiving his right to a grand jury.
Read the victim's statement:
Special prosecutor
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Jane Hanlin was appointed as special prosecutor in George's case after Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley recused himself over potential conflicts of interest.
Hanlin spoke to reporters following the sentencing:
Hanlin said that she worked closely with the victim and her family to hold George accountable and to protect the young woman from any future harm.
“We were satisfied with the judge agreeing with this," Hanlin said, adding that the agreement has "brought [the victim] some measure of peace and allows her to move forward."
Hanlin previously said that it's not that she didn't think there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial, but a young girl in her 20s wanted at some point to move forward, and this accomplishes several things: to protect the public, hold George accountable, and protect privacy rights.
“I believe that he is a man who abuses women," Hanlin said today. “And I believe that it took this young girl to make him accountable and to hold him responsible for what he did."
After Monday's sentencing, Hanlin said she did not think George got off easily because he will remain a convicted felon for the rest of his life.
George's attorney, Kevin Spellacy, declined to comment.
Previous charges
According to police reports and court records, the alleged victim, a woman George was dating, detailed multiple incidents of domestic violence.
She said George strangled her while slamming her head against a table, which caused her to bleed from her ears on November 14, 2023.
Among other incidents, she said George raped her after she got out of the shower, pointed a gun at her and demanded she come back inside a residence she was trying to leave, and tried to kill her by shoving a towel down her throat.
George initially faced nine felony counts related to those accusations.
According to Cleveland Municipal Court records, a warrant was issued for George on the following charges in 2024:
- One count of attempted murder
- One count of rape
- Four counts of kidnapping
- One count of felonious assault
- Two counts of strangulation
George owns TownHall on West 25th Street and Barley House on West 6th Street in Cleveland, among other restaurants and businesses.
When asked after his arraignment how his criminal case is affecting those businesses, he said, "This case doesn't affect my business at all. Doesn't affect me or my business at all."
