Two men faced the music on Monday in connection with the audacious theft of exceedingly rare baseball cards worth a jaw-dropping $2.1 million from a hotel in Strongsville. The caper, orchestrated earlier this year, featured a daring heist masterminded by Jacob R. Paxton, a 28-year-old from Brunswick who was employed at the very hotel from which the valuable memorabilia was snatched.
Paxton, who had already pleaded guilty to aggravated theft in October, received his sentencing with a bitter cocktail of prison time and community control. Clocking in at four to six years in the correctional facilities and an additional two to five years of community control, Paxton faced the consequences of his actions. Moreover, he was saddled with a hefty restitution bill, amounting to over $89,000. As a sliver of silver lining, a charge of tampering with evidence was dropped as part of his plea bargain.
The saga unfolded when a shipment of priceless collectibles, dispatched by the esteemed vintage sports card dealer Memory Lane Inc., found its way to the Best Western Plus hotel nestled along Royalton Road on that fateful day of April 17. These coveted cards were earmarked for a sports card exhibition at the Brunswick Auto Mart Arena in close vicinity. Paxton, allegedly capitalizing on his insider knowledge as a hotel staff member, seized the opportunity to pluck these prized possessions from the delivered packages.
Appearing in court, Paxton mustered up remorse for his misdeeds. In a somber admission, he expressed regret, acknowledging the fallout of his actions. “I just want to say that I’m very sorry to the victim, and this doesn’t show who I am,” he emphasized, alluding to the gravity of his choices. The culprit alluded to his personal struggles, shedding light on his responsibilities as a single parent to a 2-year-old child. Despite initial dishonesty with the authorities regarding the possession of the cards, Paxton confessed, “I should have been. I was just scared.”
In the aftermath of the theft, Paxton turned to Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old resident of Cleveland, with the ill-gotten gains. In a peculiar twist, Bowling’s legal counsel, Jaye Schlachet, painted a picture of innocence, asserting that Bowling believed the cards had been salvaged from a dumpster and he was oblivious to their stolen origins.
Law enforcement swung into action, obtaining a search warrant for Bowling’s abode on May 23, successfully recovering all the stolen cards except for two elusive pieces. A meticulous investigation, leveraging phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and eyewitness testimonies, firmly linked both perpetrators to the grand larceny.
Bowling made his own tryst with justice in October, owning up to receiving stolen property and receiving a lighter sentence of one year under community control. The fallout from the theft was far-reaching, causing palpable financial and reputational wounds to Memory Lane Inc. The victim impact statement painted a grim picture, revealing a staggering loss of a $2 million loan, $100,000 worth of interest, and lasting damage to the company’s standing in the aftermath of the incident.
Despite the closure brought by the sentencing and recovery of the majority of the stolen cards, a lingering mystery surrounds the whereabouts of two elusive pieces:
1. A 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card boasting a PSA grade of 5 and certificate No. 90586922
2. A 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card in near-mint-to-mint condition, bearing a PSA grade of 8 and certificate No. 05159693
For anyone harboring information on the missing cards, the Strongsville police have extended an urgent plea for assistance, urging individuals to reach out at 440-580-3247, citing report No. 2024-000693.
