Auditor Sought Since 1989 Theft Calls to Turn Self In

The complaint from the management of Medieval Times was reported to police on Feb. 6, 1989: weekend receipts from the dinner theater totaling $100,000 were gone, and night auditor Joseph Patrick Cairns had simply vanished.

For 2 1/2 years, Buena Park police detectives, acting on reports that Cairns was a compulsive gambler, scoured casinos in Las Vegas, searched in numerous cities in California and followed countless tips with no success.

On Tuesday, Detective David Woofter received a call from the FBI: Cairns, wanted on a warrant for suspicion of grand theft, was hospitalized with a heart condition at a Fullerton hospital and had agreed to surrender.

“It surprised me,” said Woofter, a 16-year-veteran who headed the investigation. “We knew he had some heart problems, but we had no idea that it would end this way.”

Cairns was transferred from St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Fullerton to the jail ward at Western Medical Center-Anaheim. He is listed in stable condition.

He has declined to give a statement to police, saying only that he wanted to discuss the matter with his attorney, Woofter said.

Woofter said Cairns checked into the hospital last Friday and apparently told a daughter who lives in the Detroit area that he wanted police to know where he was. She contacted the FBI’s Detroit office, which passed word to federal agents in Santa Ana to inform Buena Park detectives about Cairns’ wishes.

Woofter said Cairns had lost at least 50 pounds since his disappearance.

“He looked considerably different,” Woofter said. “I don’t think I would have recognized him under normal circumstances. I had to study his face to make a decision in my mind that he was the same person.”

Medieval Times spokeswoman Joyia Emard said Thursday that the company was pleased Cairns was in custody and “happy that it’s coming to a conclusion.”

Woofter said he’s is looking forward to questioning Cairns.

“We were running out of ways to locate him, but never gave up hope,” Woofter said. “Now I want to ask him one important question: ‘Where have you been?’ ”