Local Restaurant Owner Facing Major Criminal Charges
Townhall is under fire!
The Owner, Bobby George and Director, Michael McCullough of Townhall both facing serious violent criminal charges. But before we get in to those details, let’s talk about where it started.
One thing Columbus, Ohio has definitely become is a foodie town. With an abundance of delicious options to choose from no matter what parts of the city you may visit, there is always something delicious to eat. We also have restaurants that prioritize a more healthy lifestyle. One that has become extremely popular over the last few years is Townhall. Located in the heart of the Short North, Townhall proudly boasts non-gmo food options, fresh cold pressed juice as well as zero toxin organic coffee. However, everything looks good when you wrap it in a wholesome bow.
Despite having great options to fuel your body, behind the doors of Townhall is more than what you may have bargained for lunch and dinner. Townhall opened its doors back in January of 2021, boasting its fresh outlook in one of the busiest areas of Columbus. The Short North is known to have heavy foot traffic for shopping, dining, partying and more. So, needless to say, Townhall quickly grew in popularity. However, not everyone has been welcome to dine and enjoy all it has to offer. In 2022, Black students from The Ohio State University, as well as others, detailed the racial profiling they experienced trying to enter the establishment.
Black students revealed in The Lantern, a beloved student-run independent news organization, how encounters with front door security at Townhall left them feeling, “…disgusted and quite frankly embarrassed…” More stories and first hand experiences have come out about minorities facing this similar types of profiling, especially regarding the dress codes, at Townhall and other Short North restaurants and bars.
Averi Frost, the Executive Director of the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce, has said, “The dress code policy is just another mutation of segregation-type policies in my opinion, where the words have to change because of law, where you can’t just discriminate against people, so you have to find failed ways to insinuate and control who is in your place of business.”
Apparently, this racial discrimination is just the tip of the iceberg for Townhall. Owner, Bobby George has been accused of some egregious crimes against women and has been inappropriate towards law enforcement. George is currently facing charges of rape, kidnapping, strangulation, felonious assault and attempted murder. George allegedly committed these crimes against a previous girlfriend in their home between 2023 and 2024. Cleveland court records cited that he’s accused of pinning the woman down, strangling her and slamming her head into the ground. He’s also accused of forcing her out of a car at gunpoint, shoving a towel down her throat and sexually assaulting her fresh out the shower.
As of March 2025, the case against Bobby George is waiting to be heard in front of a grand jury to determine if they should move forward. A special prosecutor, Jane Hanlin has been appointed to the case and a date has yet to be set for a grand jury to review.
The Director of Townhall, Michael McCullough, a former football player for The Ohio State University is also facing criminal charges, after assaulting and strangling his girlfriend. Strangulation is a second degree felony. The incident occurred the evening of August 28th, 2025 and according to police reports, the woman had a black eye, swollen lip and bruise on the front of her throat. She told police she had no memory of part of the incident. McCullough was arrested over the weekend. On September 2nd, Franklin County Municipal Judge Eileen Paley set a bond at $50,000 and granted the request for a protection order requiring him to stay away from the woman that came forth with the allegations.
Bobby George owns multiple restaurants in Columbus and Cleveland, including Mandrake Rooftop in the Short North and REBoL in Dublin.
There is a Townhall Protest set to happen this Saturday, September 6th from 5pm-7pm at 729 N High Street, to inform the community about the violent criminal charges against the leadership and to discourage people from supporting their business.
We will follow these stories as they continue to develop.
Source: The Lantern, The Columbus Dispatch
