Armed Robber Charged With Sexually Assaulting Hostage: Police

ROCKFORD, IL — A Rockford man who had multiple warrants out for his arrest and was on a Winnebago County "most wanted" list is now charged with sexually assaulting a bank employee after taking her hostage Friday afternoon.

Early Saturday, Rockford police said Nicholas August entered the bank and threatened employees before taking the 39-year-old woman hostage and ordering everyone else out of the building.

Rockford Police Chief Dan O'Shea said August walked into the Heritage Credit Union at 5959 E. State St. around 2:30 p.m. with a gun. Police later said the weapon turned out to be a pellet gun that resembled a real firearm.

During the more than six-hour standoff, crisis negotiators from the Rockford Police Department and the FBI communicated with the gunman.

Around 9 p.m., negotiators were able to convince August to surrender. He exited the building with the hostage. Police said investigators learned August had sexually assaulted the woman during the standoff.

She was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

August, 39, is charged with armed robbery, two counts of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated restraint. His bond was set at $2 million.

He also had warrants out for aggravated domestic battery and probation violation. August was released from Boone County Jail in November 2019 after pleading guilty to felony domestic battery, according to WREX. After his release, he was charged again in December with felony domestic battery incident involving strangulation in Winnebago County, according to the outlet. The December incident landed him on the Winnebago County most-wanted list.