The infamous $2.1 million baseball card heist at a hotel in Strongsville has taken an interesting turn as two men involved in the theft have now faced the consequences. Jacob R. Paxton, a 28-year-old employee at the hotel, found himself on the wrong side of the law when he pleaded guilty to aggravated theft back in October. His cooperation led to a sentence of four to six years behind bars, followed by two to five years of community control. Paxton was also slapped with the daunting task of paying over $89,000 in restitution. In a twist of fate, the charge of tampering with evidence against Paxton was dropped as part of his plea arrangement.
The daring theft took place when a shipment of rare baseball cards, sent by the vintage sports card dealer Memory Lane Inc., arrived at the Best Western Plus hotel on Royalton Road. The high-value cards were destined for a sports card expo at the Brunswick Auto Mart Arena close by. Allegations suggest that Paxton, taking advantage of his position at the hotel, sifted through the delivered packages and made off with the expensive cards.
During his court appearance, Paxton expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “I just want to say that I’m very sorry to the victim, and this doesn’t show who I am. I have a 2-year-old… it’s just me and him. I’ve been doing my very best. I wasn’t honest with the detectives at first that I had [the cards]. I should have been. I was just scared.”
After the theft, Paxton sought the help of Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old from Cleveland. Bowling’s defense attorney, Jaye Schlachet, argued that Bowling was under the impression that the cards were discarded and had no knowledge of their stolen nature.
The law eventually caught up with Bowling when a search warrant was executed at his residence on May 23. Nearly all of the stolen cards were recovered during this search, except for two elusive items. The investigators pieced together phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and witness testimonies, connecting both individuals to the heist.
Bowling, in a bid to clear his name, pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property in October and received a sentence of one year of community control.
The aftermath of the crime left a trail of financial and reputational destruction for Memory Lane Inc. The company reported a loss of a $2 million loan and $100,000 in interest due to the incident, coupled with a tarnished reputation.
Despite the recovery efforts, two of the pilfered cards are still at large:
1. A 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card graded at 5 by PSA, certificate No. 90586922.
2. A 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card in near-mint-to-mint condition, graded at 8 by PSA, certificate No. 05159693.
Individuals with information regarding the whereabouts of the missing cards are encouraged to reach out to the Strongsville Police Department at 440-580-3247, quoting report No. 2024-000693.
