Armed Robber Holds CU Branch Employee Hostage for More Than Six Hours

An armed robber walked into the Rockford, Ill.-branch of the $375 million Heritage Credit Union Friday, holding a 39-year-old female employee hostage for six and a half hours when he allegedly sexually assaulted her, according to Rockford police investigators.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., Rockford police and authorities from four other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies responded to a robbery in progress at the credit union’s branch at 5350 East State Street.

SWAT team members surrounded the credit union and established contact with the suspect, Nicholas August, 39, of Rockford.

Investigators learned that August entered the branch and threatened employees. He then took a female employee hostage and ordered the other employees out of the branch.

This standoff ended shortly before 9 p.m., when negotiators convinced August to surrender. He walked out of the branch with the hostage. August was taken into custody without incident. Police confiscated his pellet gun that resembled a real firearm.

The hostage was transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries, Rockford police said.

During a press briefing Friday night, Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said that the hostage incident appeared to be random and that investigators did not believe the credit union employee was targeted by August.

The Winnebego County State Attorney’s Office has charged August with armed robbery, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated unlawful restraint.

He is being held at the Winnebago County Jail on a $2 million bond.

Investigators found that August had two warrants for his arrest for a probation violation and two charges of aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery.

The Rockford branch was closed Monday and will reopen Tuesday, according to a statement on the website of the Madison-Wis.-based Heritage CU.

This marks the second credit union branch hostage incident that has occurred over the last five months.

In September, Kevin Francis Lailiberte walked into the Pittsboro, N.C. – branch of the $40.8 billion State Employees Credit Union, drew two semi-automatic pistols and held the branch manager hostage for an hour.

But he didn’t demand cash. Instead, he told the branch manager he was holding him hostage because Lailberte wanted to go to federal prison, according to new court documents filed by federal prosecutors on Dec. 27 in U.S. District Court in Greensboro, N.C.

The branch manager got away unharmed, after which Lailiberte surrendered to police without incident.