Two individuals, Jacob Paxton and Jason Bowling, recently found themselves in a legal pickle after being accused of orchestrating the theft of over $2 million worth of vintage baseball cards from a Best Western hotel in Strongsville, Ohio. Their elaborate heist involved a FedEx delivery mix-up and a daring case of sticky fingers.
In a courtroom spectacle at the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, 27-year-old Jacob Paxton, an employee of the hotel at the center of the crime, adamantly entered a plea of not guilty to charges of aggravated theft amounting to $1.5 million or more. Additionally, he faces accusations of tampering with evidence, likely in a bid to cover his tracks. Paxton’s bond was fixed at a substantial $50,000 as he awaited his next court date slated for July 15.
On the other side of the courtroom drama stood 50-year-old Jason Bowling, the second figure in this audacious caper. Bowling pleaded his innocence to a single charge of receiving stolen property, all while the shadow of a $100,000 bond hung over his head. Like Paxton, Bowling is also scheduled to make a return appearance before the court on the same date in July.
The intricate tale of the stolen baseball cards unraveled when a diligent FedEx employee dropped off a parcel at the Strongsville hotel on April 17. Within this innocuous package lay a treasure trove of 54 prized vintage baseball cards valued at an astonishing $2,123,447, earmarked for delivery to Memory Lane Inc., a prominent participant in a nearby sports card conference.
However, the plot thickened when representatives from Memory Lane Inc. arrived at the hotel the following day, only to discover that the package had mysteriously vanished into thin air. This disappearance set off a chain of events that culminated in a full-fledged investigation by the Strongsville police department.
Through meticulous detective work, law enforcement officers uncovered a trail that led straight to Jacob Paxton’s door. Paxton had allegedly intercepted the package and spirited away the valuable baseball cards to the confines of Jason Bowling’s abode in Cleveland. A subsequent search of Bowling’s residence on May 23 yielded a significant breakthrough, with 52 out of the 54 stolen cards being recovered from their clandestine hiding spot.
Although the recovery marked a partial success in the case, the authorities are not resting easy just yet. The search continues for the elusive pair of missing cards—a 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson card and a 1941 Ted Williams card—that still remain unaccounted for in the wake of the heist.
In a bid to solicit public assistance, the Strongsville Police Department has issued a call-to-action, urging anyone with relevant information about the whereabouts of the missing baseball cards to come forward. Concerned citizens and potential informants can reach out to the authorities by dialing 440.580.3247 and referencing report #2024-000693, in a bid to aid the ongoing investigation into this high-stakes theft.
