Rockford, Illinois: A man armed with a pellet gun who took a woman hostage inside an Illinois bank sexually assaulted her before surrendering to authorities following a six-hour standoff, police said on Saturday.
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Nicholas August, 39, of Rockford, was being held Saturday at the Winnebago County Jail on $2 million (Dh7.36 million) bond. He is charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault, armed robbery and aggravated unlawful restraint, according to a statement from police.
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The woman, a 39-year-old bank employee, was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
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August entered Heritage Credit Union in Rockford, about 2.30pm on Friday and threatened employees with a pellet gun that resembled a real gun, according to police. He took the woman hostage before ordering other employees out of the building, the Rockford Register Star reported.
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Negotiators from Rockford police and the FBI talked with August during the standoff, and a Winnebago County SWAT team was brought to the scene. August surrendered to police around 9pm on Friday. The hostage left the building with him and was ushered away by officers.
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Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea said Friday the robbery and hostage situation appeared to be random. He said investigators don’t believe the bank employee was targeted.
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August was wanted on warrants for aggravated domestic battery and a probation violation before his arrest Friday, police said.
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Rockford, which is located about 90 miles (144 kilometers) northwest of Chicago, is the largest Illinois city outside the Chicago area, with a population of roughly 147,000.
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The Morning and Evening Brief###
The Morning and Evening Brief