An Ohio restaurant owner who attracted attention for banning Olympic broadcasts at his four Ohio eateries after calling them anti-Christian is now facing charges of rape, kidnapping and attempted murder.
Bobby George, 43, made headlines two weeks ago when he announced that his restaurant group was “protesting” the Paris Olympics over what he described as a sacrilegious “portrayal of ‘The Last Supper’” in the event’s opening ceremony. The famous 1498 painting by gay artists Leonardo DaVinci depicted the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion, according to Gospel accounts.
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“[The portrayal was] handled with an irresponsible level of irreverence, insulting the Christian faith,” George posted in an announcement on Instagram and on signs at his restaurants. Right-wingers complained about the inclusion of drag queens in the portrayal, however, Olympic officials said it was inspired by the Greek Festival of Dionysus, not “The Last Supper.”
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More recently, police reports obtained by Cleveland.com said that George assaulted his victim—a 25-year-old woman living with him over the past year—multiple times, threatened her with a gun and beat her so severely that she had to be treated by a nurse practitioner who worked with George’s very own restaurant group.
“You think God is going to help you?” George allegedly taunted the woman as he shoved a towel down her throat and choked her, according to police. George also mocked her for praying to God, saying that she wouldn’t die during one of his multiple attacks, the reports added.
The abuse began in September 2023 and only ended last month, police said.
The restauranteur turned himself in on Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of attempted murder, rape, felony assault, four counts of kidnapping and two counts of strangulation.
George was released on a $200,000 bond Tuesday after appearing in Cleveland Municipal Court. In a protection order, the judge barred George from contacting his alleged victim.
The woman “fears for her life,” according to court documents.
In the first attack detailed by police, George allegedly threw his victim into a kitchen cabinet so hard that the glass shattered.
The next month, George pinned her to the floor, choked her and slammed her head into a table repeatedly. Police say she suffered blurred vision and bleeding and ringing in her ears afterwards.
“The defendant then had victim treated by his business’(s) nurse-practitioner who diagnosed her with post-concussion syndrome,” according to a report by the Cleveland police Domestic Violence Unit contained in the arrest warrant.
George is accused of shoving a gun in the woman’s stomach after she tried to flee his home, of raping her after she exited a shower, and of choking her on multiple occasions.
“Defendant pulled her hair, strangled her and threw her all over the house,” a Cleveland police detective wrote.
George’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, denied the allegations.
