Two men faced the music on Monday as they were sentenced for their roles in a daring heist involving rare baseball cards valued at a staggering $2.1 million. The saga unfolded at a Strongsville hotel, leaving a vintage sports card dealer reeling from the financial and reputational fallout of the crime.
Jacob R. Paxton, a 28-year-old resident of Brunswick and a former employee at the hotel in question, found himself at the center of the controversy. Having pleaded guilty to aggravated theft in October, Paxton was handed a four to six-year prison sentence. Additionally, he was placed under two to five years of community control and ordered to pay over $89,000 in restitution. Paxton’s journey into infamy further involved a dismissed charge of tampering with evidence, part of his plea deal.
The theft itself came to fruition when a shipment of valuable baseball cards, destined for a sports card expo at the nearby Brunswick Auto Mart Arena, arrived at the Best Western Plus hotel on April 17. It was alleged by prosecutors that Paxton took advantage of his position at the hotel to pilfer through the delivered packages and make off with the precious collectibles.
During his court appearance, Paxton offered a heartfelt apology for his actions and expressed remorse for the distress caused. “I just want to say that I’m very sorry to the victim, and this doesn’t show who I am,” he lamented. “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.”
The tale took an intriguing turn when Paxton sought the assistance of Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old Cleveland resident, after the heist. Bowling, as per his attorney Jaye Schlachet, claimed innocence by stating that he believed the cards were discarded and not stolen goods.
Authorities further uncovered the puzzle by executing a search warrant at Bowling’s residence on May 23, successfully recovering all but two of the stolen cards. The meticulous investigation relied on a blend of evidence, including phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and witness testimonies, to tie both individuals to the nefarious activity.
In a separate legal chapter, Bowling entered a guilty plea in October to the charge of receiving stolen property and was sentenced to one year of community control, marking the resolution of his involvement in the saga.
The repercussions of the brazen theft resonated far beyond the confines of the hotel room, inflicting significant financial and reputational damage on Memory Lane Inc., the unfortunate victim in this narrative. A victim impact statement detailed the company’s losses, including a $2 million loan, $100,000 in interest, and a tarnished reputation, as fallout from the incident unfolded.
As the dust settled, two prized cards remained elusive, adding a layer of mystery to the case:
1. A 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card graded at 5 by PSA with certificate No. 90586922.
2. A 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card in near-mint-to-mint condition graded at 8 by PSA with certificate No. 05159693.
Individuals possessing information regarding the whereabouts of these missing cards are urged to reach out to the Strongsville police at 440-580-3247, citing report No. 2024-000693.
