Man Gets 30 Years for Sexually Assaulting CU Employee During Standoff

An Illinois man who took a female credit union employee hostage and sexually assaulted her in a branch during a six-and-a-half-hour standoff with police was sentenced last week to 30 years in state prison.

Winnebago County court records showed Nicholas August, 40, pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to two felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped 12 additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon and 12 other felony charges that included armed robbery, aggravated robbery, burglary, aggravated unlawful restraint and battery, according to court records.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2020, Rockford police and authorities from four other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies responded to a robbery in progress at the Rockford, Ill., branch of the $451 million Heritage Credit Union, which is based in DeForest, Wis.

According to investigators, after August walked into the branch, he 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 where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.