Two men accused of stealing more than $2 million worth of baseball cards from a Best Western in Strongsville pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on Thursday.
Jacob Paxton, 27, an employee of the hotel, pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated theft of $1,500,000 or more and one count of tampering with evidence. Paxton's bond was set at $50,000, and his next court date is scheduled for July 15.
Jason Bowling, 50, the second suspect, pleaded not guilty to one count of receiving stolen property. His bond was set at $100,000, and he is also scheduled to return to court on July 15.
According to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, a FedEx delivery employee dropped off a package containing 54 vintage baseball cards, valued at $2,123,447, at the hotel on April 17. The cards were shipped to the hotel by Memory Lane Inc. for a sports card conference taking place next door.
On April 18, a representative from Memory Lane Inc. went to the hotel to claim the package, but it was missing, prompting a call to the police.
Strongsville police discovered that Paxton had rummaged through several packages delivered to the hotel and took the baseball cards to Bowling’s home in Cleveland. On May 23, police executed a search warrant at Bowling’s home and recovered 52 of the 54 stolen cards.
Two cards remain missing: a 1909 Ramly Walter Johnson card and a 1941 Ted Williams card.
Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Strongsville Police at 440.580.3247 and reference report #2024-000693.
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