Help Me Howard: Debt Threat

WSVN -- The desperate call to 911 came in broad daylight.

Carrie Grant: "I've got an emergency. The police need, there's people down here with guns in my house."

Carrie Grant thought her home was being invaded.

Carrie Grant: "They said open the damn door. Open the motherf---ing door."

When she refused, they busted in.

Carrie Grant: "They blow torched the bars off the windows. They kicked this window in, arm coming through the house. They kicked the door in."

Carrie verbally clung to the 911 operator, begging for help.

By that time, her terrified grandkids were trying to hide from the gunmen running through her house.

Carrie Grant: "All of them was screaming yelling and crying."

The men destroyed everything in their way.

Carrie Grant: "They took the coffee table, threw it in to the TV. Then they started going through my drawers pulling everything out."

Finally they told Carrie what they wanted -- money.

Carrie Grant: "I said 'What money?' They said, 'We're going to get the money. We're going to get the money.'"

Turns out they were bondsmen who had bailed her son Jabari out of jail.

When he didn't pay their fee, they came after his mother.

Carrie Grant: "I don't know anything about it."

After the men left, police arrived and stunned Carrie by telling her there was nothing they could do.

Carrie Grant: "They say the bounty hunters got their rights. I said, 'You telling me that the bounty hunters got the rights to come in the house and terrify me and my children like this? Tear up my house and do this kind of stuff?' He said, 'Ma'am, it's out of our hands.'"

Aria Chappelle also got one of those knocks on the door.

Aria Chappelle: "They were dressed like Sheriff's officers. They had on all black. They had a yellow emblem on the shirts that said 'Broward County Sheriff's Office' in yellow."

The so-called deputies told her they were serving a search warrant.

As they scrambled through her house, her son walked in to face the gun-toting men.

Aria Chappelle: "He said, 'Who is that? Is that the police?' and the gentleman answered, 'Yes.'"

After they left, Aria called the Broward Sheriff's Office to complain and found out they had not sent any men to her house.

Aria Chappelle: "At this point I'm getting very upset. I'm thinking this was a home invasion. Something, you know."

Turns out they were bail bondsmen who had made a mistake and come to the wrong house.

She again complained to police and basically was told, 'There is nothing we can do.'

Aria Chappelle: "Well you know, they have a lot of leniency when it comes to the state of Florida."

Patrick Fraser: "There is a lot of truth in that. In fact, in some ways, bail bondsmen have more power than police do. For example, police have to identify themselves before they break into your home -- bail bondsmen don't. However, they don't have a right to pose as cops, and they can't break into the home, like they did in Carrie's case."

Ed Sheppard: "Our authority is strictly over the person we put bond on."

Ed Sheppard is a former bail bondsmen who now investigates current bail bondsmen. He says there are many good ones and there are many shady ones.

Ed Sheppard: "In order to compete, there are a lot of short cuts being taken."

Technically, if a bail bondsmen breaks the law by impersonating an officer or illegally breaking into a home, they can be charged, but, truth is, it doesn't happen.

Jonathan Drucker: "I am unaware of any case in the last ten years where criminal activity has been followed up by the police department and led to an indictment or felony information being filed."

Attorney Jonathan Drucker says Carrie was the victim of rogue bondsmen. He is now suing them on her behalf and says these types of things would not happen if police wanted to stop them.

Jonathan Drucker: "Police officers look at bondsmen as helpers. They bring to justice people who are wanted and people for which there are warrants."

We contacted the bond companies that invaded Carrie and Aria's homes.

Both declined to discuss the incidents.

When we contacted Miami Police about Carrie's case, they told us, "It was a civil matter between her and the bond company."

In Aria's case, police told us there was no indication the bondsmen who broke into her home were actually wearing BSO clothing, and they were not investigating.

Aria feels let down.

Aria Chappelle: "Do police seem concerned? No. Should they be? They should be."

Carrie isn't discouraged, simply because she is still outraged.

Patrick Fraser: "Do you think a bail bondsman should be able to come and trash your house?"

Carrie Grant: "No, especially when I don't know anything about what's going on."

Carrie had no idea what was going on and, it turns out, in some cases it seems no one wants to know what's going on.

Attorney Jonathan Drucker says Carrie was the victim of Rogue Bondsmen. He is now suing them on her behalf and says these types of things would not happen if police wanted to stop them.

Jonathan Drucker: "Police officers look at bondsmen as helpers. They bring to justice people who are wanted and people for which there are warrants."

We contacted the bond companies that invaded Carrie and Aria's homes.

Both declined to discuss the incidents.

When we contacted Miami Police about Carrie's case, they told us, "It was a civil matter between her and the bond company."

In Aria's case, police told us there was no indication the bondsmen who broke into her home were actually wearing bso clothing and they were not investigating.

Aria feels let down.

Patrick Fraser: "Do police seem concerned?"

Aria Chappelle: "No."

Patrick Fraser: "Should they be?"

Aria Chappelle: "They should be."

Carrie isn't discouraged, simply because she is still outraged.

Patrick Fraser: "Do you think a bail bondsman should be able to come and trash your house?

Carrie Grant: "No, especially when I don't know anything about what's going on."

Carrie had no idea what was going on and it turns out in some cases it seems no-one wants to know what's going on.