ICE officer arrested on sodomy, incest charges

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A deportation officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Oregon was arrested and charged on 10 counts of sodomy and one count of incest, Oregon State Police said Saturday.

Blake V. Northway, 55, was arrested after a joint investigation between state police and ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility. State police said the charges are not related to Northway's work as an ICE officer. But he has been relieved of all authority and will be placed on leave pending the investigation.

Northway is accusing of sexually abusing an underage female relative between 2009 and 2013, The Oregonian reported.

He was booked into the Jackson County Jail and bail was set at $1 million.

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