Charlotte judge deems Dilworth man who blew up home unfit for trial
A 42-year-old Dilworth man charged with blowing up his home in May 2025 was found incapable of standing trial and ordered to receive mental health treatment by a Charlotte judge, according to court documents.
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Judge Donald R. Cureton signed the order Monday, saying that Michael Edward Barnette would be sent to Broughton Hospital in Morganton if he couldn’t be restored in another treatment program.
Barnette was indicted by a grand jury in June 2025 on charges of first-degree arson, second-degree arson, malicious use of an explosive device to cause damage and first-degree arson resulting in the injury of a fire investigator.
Barnette is accused of pouring gasoline in his home at 1645 Lombardy Circle and setting it on fire, which caused it to explode. No one died from the explosion, but two homes were damaged on either side of Barnett’s home and a neighbor was injured.
A neighbor who was home that morning said she smelled gasoline just before the home exploded. She had become concerned about Barnette’s behavior in the time leading up to the explosion. He would leave his lights on at all times, hammer things at odd hours and purchased an “odd number” of trash bins.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police affidavit alleged Barnette wanted the fire and explosion to look like an accident.
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Barnette’s phone was tracked to Raleigh by law enforcement after the home exploded. When they got in touch, he became uncooperative. He was arrested a week later in Chicago by local police at Union Station after he was detained by Amtrak.
His backpack was filled with personal items, a cell phone and $500 in cash when arrested. He also “requested to call the Pentagon switchboard,” an arrest report said. Barnette was extradited back to Charlotte in June 2025.
Judge Cureton’s order said Barnette would not need to be sent to Broughton if his mental capacity to stand trial could be restored at NC RISE. The North Carolina Restoring Individuals Safely and Effectively Program is a recovery program conducted at detention centers, including Mecklenburg County Jail, according to the program’s website.
Barnette has capacity review hearing scheduled for December, according to court records.
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