A Los Angeles judge has ruled that the woman charged with stalking and assaulting Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is not competent to stand trial, halting the felony case against her and sending her to a psychiatric facility for treatment.

Los Angeles County Mental Health Court Judge Robert S. Harrison found Michelle Dick, 55, incompetent at a hearing on Thursday, August 6, and determined it medically appropriate to treat her psychiatric condition with medication. The ruling came after a court-appointed doctor examined Dick in custody and submitted a report to the court. Dick was ordered transferred to a mental hospital, Rolling Stone reported.

The court scheduled an August 27 hearing to decide what happens next. The options on the table include attempting to restore Dick to competency — a process where a defendant receives treatment until they can understand the proceedings and assist in their own defence — or placing her in a mental health diversion program, which could lead to dismissal of the charges if completed successfully.

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Dick with six felonies and one misdemeanour. The amended complaint alleges she repeatedly followed and made unwanted contact with Buckingham between October 9, 2021, and March 25, 2026. Prosecutors say Dick assaulted the 76-year-old musician with a motor vehicle on March 19 and vandalised his Mercedes-Benz S450 the same day, defacing it with graffiti and other inscribed material. Six days later, on March 25, Dick allegedly tracked Buckingham to a location in Santa Monica and threw a substance at him before fleeing, despite a restraining order barring any contact.

Buckingham had first sought that restraining order in November 2024. In court filings, he accused Dick of "swatting" his home — calling 911 and falsely reporting shots fired at the family's Brentwood residence. A judge granted the order in December 2024, requiring Dick to stay at least 100 yards from Buckingham, his wife, and his son for five years. Buckingham also wrote that police stopped and questioned Dick after one alleged incident, during which she rambled about him being her father and suffocating her as a child.

Dick was arrested in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on a Saturday night in April 2026, in connection with the Santa Monica case, 21 Alive News reported. Authorities transported her back to California, and she pleaded not guilty to all seven charges on May 6. Before her arraignment, Dick gave an interview to KTLA on April 1 in which she spoke publicly about the stalking allegations.

Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975 and was a central songwriter and guitarist through the band's most commercially successful era, including the 1977 album Rumours. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band in 1998.

The August 27 hearing will determine whether the criminal case against Dick resumes or takes an alternative path through the mental health system.