Hancock County’s probate judge has been ordered to return to court this month for another contempt hearing after again falling behind on child support payments to his ex-wife.
William B. Blaisdell IV has been ordered to appear before Belfast District Court Feb. 23.
Blaisdell was first elected as the county’s probate judge in 2014. He still technically holds the position, but he currently is suspended from working either as a judge or a lawyer.
While he has been suspended, the county has relied on an inter-county agreement that permits probate judges from other counties to preside over probate cases in Hancock County, county officials have said. Probate judges make rulings on family-related legal matters such as estates, guardianships and name changes.
Blaisdell is 11 weeks behind on child support payments and perjured himself during sworn testimony about his financial accounts, his ex-wife alleges in an affidavit submitted to the court on Jan. 9. Blaisdell has more than $510,000 in savings, according to financial statements provided to the court.
Blaisdell has previously faced three contempt orders, by three separate judges, for overdue child payments stemming from his 2019 divorce. Blaisdell, who is still listed on the county’s website as its probate judge, had his law license suspended last April for one year.
Blaisdell’s former spouse alleges the judge has failed to pay $848 weekly child support payments since Oct. 29, 2025, the date of the last court order. He’s missed 11 payments since then, amounting to $9,328, according to the Jan. 9 court filing.
The judge’s ex-wife is also requesting payment for her attorney’s fees, totaling $817, and that Blaisdell be jailed and bail be set at the amount she’s owed.
A February 2025 contempt order requiring Blaisdell to stay up to date on child support payments is set to expire Feb. 24 of this year. Blaisdell’s ex-wife is seeking a contempt order that remains in effect until the couple’s youngest child graduates from high school in June 2029.
On Nov. 12, after risking jail time following his last contempt of court, Blaisdell furnished a $25,684 personal check and a packet of financial statements to his ex-wife’s lawyer. Among those statements was a Charles Schwab account with $166,291 and a separate IRA account with $344,080 saved, according to court documents.
Blaisdell had previously testified under oath that he had “depleted all of the brokerage account funds available to him,” and in turn was unable to pay the $25,648 he owed in child support. He testified that was also unable to pay his monthly $1,500 Toyota Sequoia bill, according to court documents.
Despite Blaisdell’s testimony claiming to be in financial distress, his financial statements, dated two days after his Oct. 29 hearing, show he had more than $510,000 in savings.
“It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Defendant committed perjury in his sworn testimony on October 29, 2025, in an effort to avoid imposition of the suspended 30 day jail sentence,” a motion filed by Blaisdell’s ex-wife’s attorney says.
Blaisdell was first held in contempt of court in March 2024 after dodging $50,000 in child support and attorney fees and for failing to file federal or state income tax for at least three years.
A Waldo County judge ordered Blaisdell to be held in contempt in February 2025 after an additional $17,000 in child support bills and attorney fees went unpaid.
Blaisdell has represented himself throughout the post-divorce proceedings, which are being held in Waldo County because of his professional connections at the Hancock County Courthouse.
Blaisdell did not respond to inquiries from the Bangor Daily News.
His term as Hancock County’s probate judge is set to expire at the end of this year. As of Tuesday, neither he nor anyone else had filed paperwork with the Maine Ethics Commission to run for the seat.
