Armed Man Tries to Rob Bank and Sexually Assaults Hostage

A 39-year-old armed robber was arrested for taking a woman hostage inside a bank and sexually assaulting her.

Nicholas August of Rockford is being held at the Winnebago County Jail charged with armed robbery, two counts of aggravated sexual assault, threatening employees and unlawful restraint in connection with the hours-long standoff according to the Rockford police statement.

Police said, August, armed with a pellet gun which resembled a real firearm- entered into the branch of Heritage Credit Union in Rockford shortly after 2:30 pm on Friday and then threatened the employees to leave the bank. Later he took a 39-year-old female bank employee as a hostage and allegedly assaulted her.

August willingly came out of the building with the 39-year-old woman while speaking with negotiators, the police said. The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries but with non-life-threatening injuries and August was taken into custody, the police added.

As per the police statement, the incident appears to be random and August did not know the bank employee before this incident.

August was also wanted on warrants for domestic battery and probation violation before his arrest, the police said.