A Cary dentist will spend more than two years in prison for the drunk-driving crash that killed a 76-year-old woman as she walked her dog near her Wake County home last December. Michael Kenneth Bielinski was sentenced Friday to two years and three months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised probation, for the death of Ann Swenson.
Bielinski pleaded guilty in July to felony death by vehicle and driving while impaired, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. The newspaper identified him as 72 at the time of his guilty plea, though an earlier report on his arrest had listed his age as 71 when he was charged with felony death by motor vehicle, driving while impaired and failure to maintain lane control.
A Walk Near Yates Mill Pond Road Turns Deadly
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2025, as Swenson was walking her dog near her home on Countryview Lane, close to Yates Mill Pond Road. State troopers responded after Bielinski's Toyota RAV4 veered off the roadway and struck her, throwing her body about 75 feet from the point of impact, per the same account.
Swenson suffered a brain bleed and multiple other injuries and died days later. Bielinski was thought to have been traveling 35 mph in a 35 mph zone, the report notes. He stayed at the scene and admitted responsibility for the crash, according to court documents cited in the reporting, and officers recorded his blood alcohol concentration at 0.08 — the legal threshold for impairment in North Carolina.
Judge Weighs a Clean Record Against a Fatal Mistake
In her written findings, Wake County Judge Jennifer Bedford cited Bielinski's otherwise safe driving record, his cooperation with law enforcement, the low Breathalyzer result, his health issues and the loss of a child in 2020 as factors in sentencing. Bedford also noted that Bielinski made substantial restitution to Swenson's family, had a good reputation in his community and had completed treatment for unspecified health concerns, the article states.
Bielinski's record was not entirely spotless. He had a 2013 reckless-driving plea in Cary, the lone blemish on an otherwise clean driving history; his sentence in that case was continued for judgment, and an open-container violation tied to the same incident was dismissed as part of his plea.
Strict Conditions Follow Prison Release
Once Bielinski completes his prison term, he faces three years of supervised probation that includes continuous alcohol monitoring for the first year. He may not hold a driver's license until his probation is complete, and he is barred from possessing or using controlled substances, alcohol or illegal drugs unless prescribed by a doctor.
North Carolina's felony death by vehicle statute addresses causing a death while engaged in impaired driving, according to the North Carolina General Assembly, with the state's impaired-driving law referencing the same 0.08 alcohol-concentration threshold used in Bielinski's case.
Remembering Ann Swenson
Swenson was a Minnesota native and former labor and delivery nurse. Loved ones described her as a dog-lover, flower gardener and, in the words shared with the News & Observer, a simple giver of herself to others. She is survived by her husband, siblings, stepdaughter and granddaughter.
Bielinski's case lands amid continued scrutiny of drunk-driving sentencing in North Carolina. Separately, WBTV recently examined the state's split sentencing laws in connection with another fatal drunk-driving case, while WRAL reported that Nathane Blackmon pleaded guilty in a 2024 wrong-way crash that killed Dawn Tucker and injured her adopted son, who has Down syndrome.
