The Northumberland Nightmare: When Justice Ignores Mental Illness [Paperback]

Jr. Paul L. Wegkamp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2004

On the morning of August 13, 2001, Chad Wegkamp, a former honor student, woke up and decided to rob the bank across the street from the Sheriff's office. Severely mentally ill, he was desperate to secure the money for an operation that he felt he needed to return to normal. Shouting obscenities, he managed to rob the bank without a weapon and then eluded the Sheriff's deputies on his way home. What would transpire next is a story that is beyond belief. It is the true story of people within a rural county criminal justice system, who were more than willing to discard an eighteen-year-old boy for the rest of his life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Infinity Publishing (January 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0741418479
• ISBN-13: 978-0741418470
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Northumberland Nightmare, March 29, 2004

By 

bonnie simmons (va,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Northumberland Nightmare: When Justice Ignores Mental Illness (Paperback)

This book is something everyone in the Judicial system should read. This could happen to anyone of us with children. I am not saying Chad should not somehow be punished but not incaracated
for mental illness.Mental illness is so misunderstood, we need a book like this to open our eyes a little wider. We should be more concerned with trying to help someone in this situation
than trying to put them away.
I applaud Mr Wegkamp for being able to document this and sharing it with others to digest.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll be stunned., May 30, 2005

By 

Aura Mae (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Northumberland Nightmare: When Justice Ignores Mental Illness (Paperback)

I was astonished as this story unfolded. Most of us understand that a person who hears voices and has delusions can not be judged the same as someone of normal mental health. In our rush to put away the bad guys, we forget that some people need to be helped more than they need to be punished. This book will open your eyes to just how blind "justice" can be.

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest account of one familys nightmare, May 25, 2010

By 

Woodrow T. Hawthorne (Merritt Island, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Northumberland Nightmare: When Justice Ignores Mental Illness (Paperback)

Three cheers for Mr. Wegkamp's account of the nightmare he and his family lived through. I too had a similar experience with my son Billy and was inspired to write the account what what happened also. Unlike the Wegkamp's my wife and I were fortunate to have my bipolar son escape the state of Virginia after serving 14 months in jail for a hit and run (he ran into the back of another car at 10 mph and was away from the scene for 26 minutes to call his mother). I applaud Mr. Wegkamp for being brave enough to use real names in his book! I only wish his son could recieve proper (how about any..) care for his mental illness in a hospital instead of jail..and not have his son's mental illness blamed on the family by the prosecuter!

For all of us who have mentally ill family members, real justice will only come if we continue to expose abuses in the criminal justice system and fight on. Everyone needs to read this book and take it to heart...