An arrest warrant has been issued for Cleveland businessman Bobby George, who owns TownHall, REBoL and Barley House.
RELATED: Bobby George in custody after arrest warrant for attempted murder and rape
According to Cleveland Municipal Court records, the warrant was issued on the following charges: one count of attempted murder, one count of rape, four counts of kidnapping, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of strangulation. All of the charges are capital felonies.
According to records, the alleged incidents occurred between November 14, 2023, and July 31, 2024. The alleged assaults were reported on August 9.
On November 14, 2023, George is accused of pinning a woman to the ground, choking her, and slamming her head into the ground multiple times, causing post-concussion syndrome.
Between Nov. 1, 2023, and May 1, 2024, George allegedly followed a woman to her car, ordered her to exit the vehicle, and held a gun to the window to “get her to exit the vehicle.” When she got out of the car, he put the gun to her stomach and escorted her back into the home she had fled, records say.
Between June 8 and 10, 2024, George allegedly attempted to kill a woman by “stuffing a towel down her throat and saying, ‘Do you think God will help you?’ while she was in the closet praying that she would not die.” He also did not let the woman leave the house and strangled and abused her.
Sometime between May 1 and July 31, 2024, he is said to have sexually assaulted a woman who had just come out of the shower.
On July 27, he allegedly threw a woman into a closet as she tried to leave the apartment.
George’s lawyer said he turned himself in.
George’s lawyer responds
“If his last name was Smith, we wouldn’t be talking to each other. OK? The Georges are obviously persons of interest in our community,” said defense attorney Kevin Spellacy.
Spellacy confirmed to News 5 that he is representing George in the case.
He said George was not only surprised by the allegations but also embarrassed.
Spellacy said George’s connection to the victim was that the two had a relationship.
“I just don’t understand how something like this can happen without someone knocking on your door. I’ve represented professional athletes. I’ve represented professionals and I don’t understand this… It’s not like you wake up and someone says, ‘Hey, the police were at your house last night and Bobby and so-and-so were there and she has a black eye,'” Spellacy explained. “And the police say, ‘What happened?’ ‘He hit me.’ OK, then you arrest him. Right?”
Spellacy said police should have asked the victim more questions and claims they failed to do so.
“For me it’s 101. I think the last name made a difference in this case,” he added.
Spellacy told News 5 there is video evidence showing the victim was back with George for about a week after the July 27 allegation.
“In this case, Mr. George is being treated extremely unfairly by an incompetent City of Cleveland legal department due to a lack of investigation. They did not do their homework,” Spellacy said.
Spellacy said the case was heard Friday before a judge in Cuyahoga County, where he was initially charged with murder.
“They charged him with murder, which is ridiculous. It would have to be attempted murder if you want to believe anything that young man says. They couldn’t even get that right. A second-grader does a better job than them in this case, but whatever,” Spellacy explained.
In fact, since Monday evening, the charge is attempted murder.
“They changed it because I had to educate them in the last 24 hours,” Spellacy said.
According to Cleveland police, George was not in custody as of Monday evening.
News 5 asked Spellacy if the plan was for George to turn himself in.
“That’s how bad they are – we’ve been trying for a day. They don’t even know how to do it. I’ve been doing this for over 35 years, probably 200 times, but the new crew I’m dealing with has no idea what they’re doing. We’re going to turn him over at some point,” Spellacy said. “I’ve been trying all day today. I’ll try again tomorrow. That’s our plan.”
Spellacy said he called the detective who filed the charges and was told to call the clerk of court.
“I mean, really? That’s never happened in my lifetime. Usually the detective says to me, ‘Yes, thank you, Mr. Spellacy. Bring him to my office and I’ll process him. Bring him to the third precinct. Bring him to the first precinct. Bring him to the second precinct and we’ll process him,'” Spellacy said. “It doesn’t work that way.”
News 5 has reached out to Cleveland Police to confirm Spellacy’s claim that George has not yet been arrested due to the police department’s fault. We are awaiting a response.
The City of Cleveland’s Law Director issued the following statement to News 5:
This case was investigated by the Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit and handled in the same manner that similar cases are handled every day. Information is gathered, evidence is presented to the prosecutor, and an objective decision is made based solely on the facts. This is a case involving multiple incidents, and in this case, multiple pieces of evidence were obtained before a charging decision was made. It is imperative for the public to know that this case was handled following standard protocols like any other case – regardless of the defendant’s name, title, or occupation. The investigation is ongoing.
We will continue to follow the development of this story.
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