Cleveland businessman charged with violent crime

CLEVELAND — Local businessman Robert George, 43, of Lakewood, Ohio, has been charged with various crimes, including attempted murder, rape and kidnapping, according to Cleveland Municipal Court case information.

He turned himself in and an arraignment hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

He was accused of the following:

• Attempted murder
• Rape
• Four charges of kidnapping
• Heavy attack
• Two charges of strangulation

George owns both Townhall restaurants in Columbus and Cleveland, as well as Barley House in Cleveland and Mandrake Rooftop in Columbus.

He has pleaded not guilty to any of the charges. His bail was set at $200,000.

Legal Director Mark Griffin issued the following statement:

“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.”