Jacob R. Paxton and Jason Bowling learned their fate in court following their involvement in a daring heist of rare baseball cards worth a whopping $2.1 million from a hotel in Strongsville, Ohio earlier this year. Sentencing took place on Monday, revealing the consequences of their criminal actions.
Paxton, a 28-year-old from Brunswick who was employed at the hotel, took a guilty plea in October for aggravated theft. The court handed him a sentence of four to six years behind bars, followed by two to five years of community control. Additionally, Paxton was ordered to pay back over $89,000 in restitution, a small price to pay for the large-scale theft he committed. As part of his plea bargain, a charge of tampering with evidence was dropped.
The crime unfolded in April when a shipment of valuable baseball cards, sent by vintage sports card merchant Memory Lane Inc., arrived at the Best Western Plus hotel on Royalton Road. The cards were destined for display at a sports card expo at the nearby Brunswick Auto Mart Arena. Prosecutors alleged that Paxton, taking advantage of his position at the hotel, pilfered the valuable collectibles from the delivered packages.
Showing remorse in court, Paxton expressed his regret for his actions, acknowledging the impact on the victim. He admitted, “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.”
Following the theft, Paxton handed over the stolen cards to Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old resident of Cleveland. Bowling’s legal counsel argued that he was under the impression the cards were discarded items found in a dumpster and was unaware of their stolen nature.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Bowling’s residence on May 23, successfully recovering all but two of the stolen cards. Evidence tying both men to the crime included phone records, surveillance footage, GPS data, and witness testimonies, painting a clear picture of their involvement.
Bowling confessed to receiving stolen property in October and was sentenced to one year of community control for his role in the scheme. The repercussions of the theft were severe for Memory Lane Inc., which suffered significant financial losses and reputational damage as a result of the incident. The company reported the loss of a $2 million loan and $100,000 in interest, in addition to the tarnishing of its reputation.
Despite the recovery of most of the stolen cards, two items are still unaccounted for. These include a 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card graded PSA 5 with certificate No. 90586922 and a 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card in near-mint-to-mint condition graded PSA 8 with certificate No. 05159693. The public is urged to provide any information on the whereabouts of these missing cards to the Strongsville police, referencing report No. 2024-000693.
The sentencing of Paxton and Bowling marks the closing chapter in the daring baseball card heist that rocked the Strongsville community and the sports card industry. The repercussions of their actions serve as a reminder of the high stakes involved in such criminal endeavors and the importance of upholding integrity and honesty.
