HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Police Friday arrested a man accused of sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl during a birthday party in Hillsboro.

Irvin Nikolai as shown in a photo on the La Grande School District's Web site.

The suspect, Irvin Nikolai, 71, is a friend of the victim's family and also works as the superintendent of schools in La Grande, where he lives.

Police said the investigation began in late April after the girl said Nikolai touched her inappropriately while at birthday party in a north Hillsboro home. According to Lt. Michael Rouches with the Hillsboro Police Department, the crime occurred when Nikolai went into a bedroom with the girl, during the evening of the party on April 19th.

Thursday, a Washington County Grand Jury indicted Nikolai on four counts of first degree sexual abuse. Then, detectives went to La Grande to arrest him.

Nikolai was taken into custody and lodged in the Union County Jail Friday morning and will be transferred to the Washington County Jail to face four counts of sexual abuse.

His bail was set at $1 million.

Extensive background with Oregon schools

Nikolai was hired in June of 2007 by the La Grande School Board to serve as the interim superintendent. He came to the small town with 20 years of experience as a superintendent, including 14 in Oregon.

According to an article in the La Grande Observer, Nikolai was superintendent of the Lincoln County School District for three years and then retired in 2004. Before that, he served as superintendent of the Forest Grove School District for nine years.

Nikolai's wife, Lu, is also a retired education administrator, according to the Observer. She served as principal of Banks Elementary School in Banks near Salem before retiring in 1999.

The Oberver newspaper article, written after Nikolai was hired in La Grande, said he would make $95,000 a year, along with a housing allowance of up to $20,000.