The woman who allegedly hurled an unidentified substance at Fleetwood Mac guitarist Buckingham amid a purported years-long stalking campaign appeared before a judge in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to seven criminal charges.
Michelle Dick, 55, was led into court wearing a blue-and-yellow jail uniform and a waist shackle. Her public defender said she needed more time to review the evidence and asked that the case be continued to June 23.
Judge Lucy Armendariz then turned to Dick and asked whether she understood she had a right to a more immediate evidentiary hearing. In a barely audible voice, Dick said she did. The judge then asked whether Dick agreed with her lawyer’s request for more time.
“Yes, but I wanted to … ” Dick said, trailing off as her lawyer leaned over to whisper in her ear. Dick then said she agreed to the delay and was led out of the courtroom, still in custody.
Courtesy of Allen County Sheriff
Dick was arrested in Indiana in April after allegedly confronting Buckingham in Santa Monica, California, on March 25, despite a restraining order barring contact. She had been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the musician due to the alleged pattern of stalking.
She quietly entered her not guilty plea to seven charges on May 6 after authorities transported her back to the county, according to a minute order that surfaced Tuesday.
In an amended complaint filed April 7, prosecutors allege Dick repeatedly followed and harassed Buckingham between Oct. 9, 2021, and March 25, 2026. Prosecutors allege Dick battered Buckingham and made criminal threats during the alleged incident on March 25 and also committed assault with a deadly weapon days earlier on March 19, with the alleged weapon being a motor vehicle. She’s further charged with vandalizing Buckingham’s Mercedes-Benz S450 on March 19. Authorities claim she defaced the luxury car “with graffiti and other inscribed material.”
During the alleged incident on March 25, Dick purportedly tracked Buckingham to the location and threw a substance at the 76-year-old musician before fleeing. A law enforcement source told Rolling Stone it wasn’t immediately clear if the substance was caustic. Buckingham was not injured.
Dick also faces a separate felony charge of making a criminal threat against Buckingham on Dec. 20, 2024. About a month earlier, Buckingham had sought a restraining order against Dick alleging years of harassment and linking her to a “swatting” incident in November 2024. According to court filings, Dick allegedly called 911 and falsely reported that Buckingham’s son was suicidal and that gunshots had been fired at the family’s Brentwood home, prompting a large police response.
“When I answered the door, I was handcuffed and asked to step outside,” Buckingham wrote in a statement to the court obtained by Rolling Stone. “After 20 minutes of the police searching my house … I was let back into my house, shaken and fearful.”
An LAPD detective later contacted Dick using the same number and said she admitted making the call, court filings state. Buckingham alleged the harassment began in 2021 with repeated phone calls, threats, and delusional claims that he was Dick’s father. He also accused Dick of targeting his family and showing up outside his homes in Los Angeles.
A judge granted the restraining order in December 2024, requiring Dick to stay away from Buckingham, his wife, and his son for five years. She also was ordered to keep her distance from their homes and vehicles.
Buckingham claimed Dick had parked her car outside one of the homes he shares with his wife. Police followed Dick from the address and later stopped and questioned her, capturing the exchange on a body-worn camera, the filings say.
“She began rambling about me being her father and suffocating her as a child,” Buckingham wrote. He said subsequent threats on Instagram were directed at his wife. “This incident terrified my wife as she feared for her safety. Given that Ms. Dick also knows my home address, I am terrified as well,” he wrote. (A rep for Buckingham did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.)
Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974 along with Stevie Nicks, his partner in the folk-rock duo Buckingham Nicks. He wrote and sang many of the group’s most iconic songs, including “Go Your Own Way.” Buckingham had an acrimonious split from the band in 2018 amid a purported dispute over timing of a world tour.
