BALLSTON SPA — A Schenectady man who pursued a woman in his car and then assaulted her before she could flee to safety was sentenced to 7 years in state prison.
Saratoga County District Attorney Brett Eby said 40-year-old Matthew Blanding, a three-time convicted felon, was sentenced Friday morning by Judge James R. Davis in county court for the road rage incident that escalated to violence.
The sentence was connected to an incident on April 7, 2025, when Blanding and a woman, who knew each other, got into a roadway dispute. He pursued her for approximately 3 miles to her parents’ Moreau home. When she attempted to flee inside, Blanding attacked her by throwing a large glass jar at her. He then exited his vehicle, forced the victim to the ground, restrained her by the throat and repeatedly punched her in the face…