Jacob R. Paxton, a 28-year-old employee at a hotel in Brunswick, received his sentencing on Monday for his involvement in the spectacular heist of valuable baseball cards worth $2.1 million from a hotel in Strongsville. His guilty plea to aggravated theft in October landed him a four to six-year prison term, followed by two to five years of community control. Paxton was also ordered to pay over $89,000 in restitution, marking the aftermath of the theft that took place earlier this year.
The theft of the rare collectibles took place when the vintage sports card dealer, Memory Lane Inc., shipped them to the Best Western Plus hotel along Royalton Road on April 17. The cards, designated for a sports card expo at the nearby Brunswick Auto Mart Arena, mysteriously disappeared. Investigations led to the revelation that Paxton, an employee at the hotel, had sifted through the packages and made off with the valuable cards.
In a courtroom confession, Paxton expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging the harm caused to the victim and his failure to be forthcoming with the authorities initially. Subsequently, he handed over the stolen cards to Jason Bowling, a 51-year-old resident of Cleveland. Bowling, as per his attorney, claimed to have thought the cards were discovered in a dumpster and was unaware of their stolen status.
Jason Bowling pleaded guilty in October to receiving stolen property and was sentenced to one year of community control. However, despite the legal proceedings and recovery of most of the stolen cards from Bowling’s residence following a search warrant, two significant pieces of memorabilia are still unaccounted for. These missing cards are a 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card graded at 5 by PSA with certificate No. 90586922, and a 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card in near-mint-to-mint condition graded at 8 by PSA with certificate No. 05159693.
The repercussions of the theft extended beyond the immediate loss of the cards, with Memory Lane Inc. suffering financial and reputational repercussions. An impact statement from the victim detailed the significant setbacks faced, including the loss of a $2 million loan, a substantial $100,000 in interest, and the tarnishing of the company’s reputation due to the incident.
In light of the ongoing investigation to locate the missing cards, anyone with knowledge about the whereabouts or details regarding the 1909 T204 Ramly Walter Johnson card or the 1941 Play Ball No. 14 Ted Williams card is encouraged to reach out to the Strongsville police at 440-580-3247, referencing report No. 2024-000693.
