In a tale fit for the big screen, a daring heist involving stolen baseball cards worth $2.1 million from a hotel in Strongsville has led to the sentencing of two individuals. The stolen cards, intended for a sports card expo, were swiped from the Best Western Plus hotel, sparking a chain of events that would eventually see justice served.
The first player in this dramatic saga is Jacob R. Paxton, a 28-year-old from Brunswick who was employed at the hotel. Paxton’s guilty plea to aggravated theft in October sealed his fate, resulting in a four to six-year prison sentence, followed by two to five years of community control. Additionally, he was ordered to pay over $89,000 in restitution. Despite expressing remorse in court, Paxton’s actions had consequences that reverberated far beyond himself.
As the stolen cards made their way into the hands of Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old resident of Cleveland, the plot thickened. Bowling, through his attorney’s assertion, claimed innocence regarding the origin of the cards, alleging he thought they were discarded items. However, the law took a different view, leading to a search warrant executed at Bowling’s residence, where most of the stolen cards were retrieved on May 23.
The meticulous investigation that followed relied on a myriad of sources, including phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and witness testimonies. The collaboration of these pieces of evidence ultimately sealed the fate of both Paxton and Bowling, each facing the consequences of their involvement in the elaborate heist.
The repercussions of this audacious theft were not limited to the two sentenced men. Memory Lane Inc., the vintage sports card dealer that was the unfortunate victim of this crime, suffered significant financial losses and reputational damage in the wake of the incident. A victim impact statement revealed the toll the theft took on the company, including the loss of a $2 million loan, $100,000 in interest, and a tarnished reputation that will take time to repair.
Despite the recovery of most of the stolen cards, two valuable pieces of the collection are still missing, leaving a lingering mystery in the aftermath of the heist:
1. A 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card with 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 with a PSA grade of 8 and certificate No. 05159693.
The hunt for these missing pieces continues, with an appeal to the public for any information that could aid in their recovery. Strongsville police can be reached at 440-580-3247, citing report No. 2024-000693, for any leads on the whereabouts of these elusive cards. As the saga of the stolen baseball cards unfolds, the search for resolution and justice presses on.
