Jacob Paxton, a 27-year-old employee at a Best Western hotel in Strongsville, stood before the judge at Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and firmly declared his innocence to charges that rocked the quiet Ohio town. With a not guilty plea to aggravated theft exceeding $1.5 million and tampering with evidence, Paxton’s fate remains uncertain as he was issued a $50,000 bond and a court date set for July 15.
His alleged partner-in-crime, Jason Bowling, aged 50, mirrored Paxton’s plea, denying any involvement in the heist of 54 vintage baseball cards worth a staggering $2,123,447. Bowling, facing a charge of receiving stolen property, was also given a bond, this time set at $100,000, with the same court appearance scheduled.
The tale began with a routine FedEx delivery to the hotel on April 17, containing a precious cargo of vintage baseball cards destined for Memory Lane Inc., an eager participant in a nearby sports card conference. However, the package never made its way to its intended recipient. A frantic search by a representative from Memory Lane Inc. the following day uncovered the unsettling reality that the package had vanished, sparking a whirlwind police investigation in Strongsville.
Uncovering the scheme, Strongsville police traced the missing baseball cards back to Paxton, who had meticulously rifled through numerous packages received at the hotel before absconding with the precious cargo to Bowling’s residence in Cleveland. In a dramatic turn of events on May 23, authorities descended upon Bowling’s abode armed with a search warrant, successfully recovering 52 of the stolen cards, although two elusive pieces of the collection remained at large – a 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson card and a 1941 Ted Williams card.
As the case unfolds, the authorities urge anyone in possession of information regarding the whereabouts of the missing baseball cards to come forward and assist in the ongoing investigation. If you have any insights that could help crack the case wide open, do not hesitate to reach out to the Strongsville Police at 440.580.3247, citing report number #2024-000693.
