Missing Dee Ann Warner's Husband Returns to Court

Dee Ann Warner. Photo courtesy of Parker Hardy.

The husband of Dee Ann Warner, who was reported missing from her rural Michigan home April 25, 2021, was back in Lenawee County Probate court yesterday facing multiple charges of criminal contempt of court. Dale Warner is accused of diverting millions of dollars in assets from Dee’s estate in violation of court orders and attempting to hide his actions from the Conservator, whose job is to protect Dee’s assets.  

The afternoon court session began by Lawrence Leib, Dale’s attorney, asking the judge to suspend the role of Conservator, calling it, “Expensive and unnecessary.” Leib estimated the Conservator cost upwards of $200,000 thus far. “Dee Warner would want this money to go to her kids and heirs,” Leib said.

John Polderman, attorney for the Successor Conservator, said, “The family and heirs support the continuation of the Conservator.”

The judge ruled the Successor Conservator, Charles Bullock, would remain.

The hearing resumed where it had left off April 12, 2023 with the original Conservator, Russel Dempsey, back on the stand to testify. Mr. Dempsey was the Conservator of Dee’s estate from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022.

Mr. Dempsey reiterated his April testimony that he discovered Dale had established another trucking company after Dee’s disappearance with a similar name as the one owned solely by Dee. Dale drained income from Dee’s company and syphoned it into his new one – to the point Dee’s company became defunct. Then, Dale sold the trucking company without notifying Mr. Dempsey.

Mr. Dempsey testified Dale erased an $860,000 loan that his agricultural business owned Dee’s trucking business. On cross examination, Mr. Leib asked how that large of a sum could possibly have disappeared and Mr. Dempsey said, “It went away. Poof!”

As to the actions of Dale and his employee Mark Weisberg, a former accountant who is a convicted felon due to embezzlement charges, Mr. Dempsey said, “Basically, they just pirated the books.”

Mr. Dempsey was questioned about an incident where he went to Dale house to conduct an inventory of Dee’s jewelry accompanied by a sheriff’s deputy. Dale Warner, Mark Weisberg, and Lawrence Leib were at the house and Mr. Dempsey described the scene as, “a hostile environment.” He also said, “I was concerned for my safety.”

Mr. Dempsey had Dee’s receipts from Kay Jewelers totaling over $50,000 – not including her diamond wedding ring. When he began taking inventory, all he found was costume jewelry.

When Mr. Dempsey asked Dale about Dee’s very large, valuable wedding ring, a ring Dale has claimed all along Dee left on his desk the morning of her disappearance, Mr. Dempsey said, “He said he didn’t have it in his possession.”

Mr. Leib asked Mr. Dempsey if Dale Warner or Mark Weisberg ever threatened him. Mr. Dempsey said they hadn’t. “The only time I felt threatened, Larry, was when you got in my face,” Mr. Dempsey said.

Mr. Leib countered with, “I was 15 feet away with my hands in my pockets. I never even raised my voice.” Mr. Leib wanted to prove he had not been menacing to Mr. Dempsey and asked the judge if he could show a video of the incident – a video with a viewing time of 30 minutes.

The judge denied his request.

Mr. Polderman repeatedly made objections, saying Leib kept getting off track and wasting the court’s time. He said, “We’ll be here for the rest of the year at Mr. Leib’s rate.”

The hearing will resume Monday, June 12, 2023.

Last night, Gregg Hardy, Dee’s brother, voiced his frustration about Mr. Leib’s stalling tactics in court earlier that day.  “The judicial system gets bogged down with these legal maneuverings that have nothing to do with right or wrong. In fact, it doesn’t even seem to be ethical in my viewpoint. We’re paying thousands of dollars and we’re not staying on task. I mean, the point of the hearing was for Dale Warner to be either found innocent or guilty of contempt of court. Now let’s get on with it.”

As to his hopes for the hearing next Monday, Mr. Hardy said, “I’d like to see some efficiency in the court and in the process. I think everyone has to be involved in that. We have one person who will obviously not want to participate, and that’s Mr. Leib. Criminal contempt charges are what this should be about. Not all this messing around.”

For background information on the missing person case of Dee Ann Warner, you can start here. Join the Justice for Dee Facebook page for all the latest updates.