CLEVELAND, Ohio (WKRC) – A man who owns multiple Ohio restaurants allegedly forced a towel down his girlfriend’s throat and bit her nose after telling her, “You think God is going to help you?”
According to Cleveland.com, the alleged incident occurred on June 9, 2024 between 44-year-old Robert “Bobby” George and his 25-year-old girlfriend, who remained anonymous throughout the reporting and litigation. George was well known for the restaurants he owns – TownHall and Barley House in Cleveland.
The pair reportedly got into an argument that turned violent, with George strangling the victim, throwing her around the house, and not allowing her to leave. At one point, the 25-year-old allegedly hid in a closet and began praying that she wouldn’t die out loud, at which point George forced a towel down her throat and said, “You think God is going to help you?” He reportedly also bit her nose and spit on her face.
In her initial report to Cleveland police, the woman allegedly claimed that George had sexually and physically assaulted her multiple times between November 2023 and July 2024, including instances in which she was threatened with a gun.
George was initially arrested and charged with attempted murder, rape, and kidnapping, the outlet reported. On Monday, he was charged with attempted strangulation, with the stipulation that if he pleads guilty he will forgo the other charges and skip jury proceedings.
George’s defense said that he intends on pleading guilty to the charge of attempted strangulation.
Jefferson County prosecutor Jane Hanlin said the decision to offer George the option to plead guilty was in line with what the victim wanted.
“I can’t tell you how much respect I have for this young woman and everything that she has gone through,” Hanlin said in a statement to Cleveland.com. “I wanted to do something that was in line with how the victim wanted the case to resolve, and I wanted to do something that would protect the victim as well, because cases involving violence between partners can be very, very difficult for the victims to go through.”
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