Cops bust into, raid wrong house

Homeowner claims she and her son were held at gunpoint

HOUSTON – The front door to Barbara Thomas' home in Cashmere Gardens was damaged and her outdoor garden lights outside were crushed into tiny pieces. Inside her home several items were broken and knocked off the walls. Thomas said it was a result of Houston police officers who came to her door to search for drugs. The problem is they were at the wrong house.

"They told me to get down," Thomas said. "There were guns everywhere. I mean, the long guns with lights on them. I was crying hysterically."

Thomas said she didn't understand why Houston Police Department narcotics officers were in her home. 

She lives there with her son, who is autistic, and said they were both forced to sit still in the living room.

"I know at least three (officers) were right there because they had guns directly at me and my son, and the rest I know were going through the house."

Thomas said the officers went through her bedroom, her closets and her kitchen looking for drugs.

"He said, 'Something isn't right here. This is a mistake,'" she said.

HPD said they're not able to say much about the case because Thomas has filed a complaint against the department. However, a spokesperson told Local 2 there was a mix-up.

Officers were looking for a 5818 address. Thomas lives at 5816. The spokesperson said officers didn't enter the home. She said they realized it was the wrong address, apologized and left. 

Thomas tells a much different story. 

"They did try to fix the door and stuff, and pick up the little stuff they threw around, but that was it," Thomas said. 

Thomas contacted community activist Quannel X to help her with the complaint against HPD. 

"They have not apologized to her or her autistic son," Quannel X said. "They have not come and said, 'Let us repair your door since we took it off the hinges.' She doesn't have the money to repair that. She's living on a fixed income, barely making ends meet, but yet she has to pay for their damages?"

Thomas said she isn't asking for much. She said she would like an apology and help making repairs to the items that were broken. She also said she wants to be reassured that a mix-up like this won't happen again. 

"I mean, I thought they were going to kill us," she said. "I'm very nervous. (It's) very scary, thinking my life could have ended."