GILBERT, Ariz. -- A school district employee in Gilbert, Ariz., resigned after being accused of downloading software on school computers that seeks out alien life, Phoenix television station KPHO reported.

Higley Unified School District officials said technology supervisor Brad Niesluchowski downloaded a program that asks people around the world to volunteer their home computers to scan data in the search for extra terrestrial intelligence.

Officials said Niesluchowski downloaded the SETI@home program onto more than 5000 district computers.

"We support educational research and certainly would have supported cancer research," said Higley superintendent Denise Birdwell. "However, as an educational institution we do not support the search for E.T."

Birdwell said the massive software slowed down educational programs in every classroom and cost the district more than $1 million in added utility fees and computer replacement parts.

Officials said the alien-seeking software had been running since Niesluchowski was hired nearly 10 years ago.

"Basically our processors were hooked up and running 24 hours a day, 12 months a year, every day of the school year," Birdwell said.

Niesluchowski's wife, Susan, insisted her husband is a good man who did nothing wrong.

She said the software was authorized by a previous administration and her husband has better things to do to than look for aliens.

"We have seven kids together," Niesluchowski's wife said. "When do you have time to do these things? He is responsible person. Why would he want to do something like that?"

According to the Search For Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Web site, Niesluchowski is a hero in the alien-seeking world.

His screen name Nez showed that he was the most active alien seeker for SETI in the entire country.

Gilbert police are investigating the incident.