Updated September 16

A deportation officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was arrested this week on multiple counts of sodomy, Oregon State Police said Saturday.

Blake V. Northway, a 55-year-old Medford resident, was taken into custody Thursday, officials said, as the result of a joint investigation between the immigration agency and state police.

He has been "relieved of all authority," state police said in a statement and will be put on leave until the investigation is complete. According to court documents, Northway is accused of sexually abusing an underage female relative between 2009 and 2013.

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds its officers to the highest standards of professional conduct and does not tolerate those who violate the law," ICE spokeswoman Tanya Roman said in a statement. "ICE will continue to cooperate until this case has been resolved."

Officials said the charges were not related to Northway's work with the immigration agency. He is currently in custody at the Jackson County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048