ROCKFORD, Ill. — A man who sexually assaulted a woman he took hostage during the robbery of a credit union has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Nicholas August, of Rockford, Ill., received his sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a weapon. Under his plea agreement, 22 other counts he had faced, including armed robbery, were dismissed. August, 39, must serve at least 85% of his sentence.
As CUToday.info reported here, August, who lived in the area, entered a branch of Heritage Credit Union armed with what appeared to be a gun, but that was later revealed to be a pellet gun. August instructed several people inside the credit union to leave, but he held a 39-year-old female employee at gunpoint,
By the time police arrived, August had barricaded himself inside the branch, with police and FBI negotiators then spending several hours seeking to get him to surrender. A SWAT team was also on site.
History of Violence
After more than six hours, negotiators convinced August to turn himself in, according to police. Officers rescued the female CU employee and made the arrest without further incident.
According to the Rockford Register Star, August had a history of accusations of violence against women before the standoff. Seven women had sought at least 12 court orders of protection against August since 2002. Those orders described increasingly violent episodes, but most of the women never filed criminal complaints.