She didn't know it at the time, but the home she shares with her husband, Randy Noterman, served as the climax of Frank Richard Duran's alleged two-county crime spree on Wednesday when police say he broke into the home, set it on fire and tried to drown the couple's Pomeranian, Cujo, in a bathtub.
A Boulder County deputy arrived and checked the back door, at which time smoke began to billow out of the house. Sheri had already called police earlier in the day after seeing the stolen Altima parked across the street from her house.
"It's tough," Ryan Noterman said. "Mom and dad are surviving but they are definitely shaken up."
He said Cujo was not injured and resting "safe and sound" at Noterman's grandparent's house. His parents are also staying there because their home suffered significant damage, especially in the kitchen where the fire is believed to have started.
"There is smoke damage in every room," Noterman said, adding that Duran appears to have rifled through his parents belongings while he was inside the home.
"It looks like he was in every single room," he said. "Every single room had open drawers."
Weld County authorities say Duran, 29, of Lafayette appears to have abandoned a stolen vehicle in Longview Estates east of Longmont before stealing a man's Altima at knifepoint after threatening to kill the man's baby. Deputies found hypodermic needles inside the first stolen car which led them to believe the crime spree was drug-related.
Cpl. Sean Standridge said Duran also tried unsuccessfully to break into another house at Longview Estates and crawled beneath another home before knocking on the victim's front door and taking his car just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
Boulder County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Heidi Prentup said the stolen vehicle had been spotted trespassing in a field off of U.S. 287 south of Longmont around 1 p.m., and deputies discovered the abandoned Altima just after 2 p.m.
Around the same time, calls began coming in about a suspicious man walking around Niwot and deputies began a search for the suspect in the surrounding area. A short time later, as they were searching for Duran, calls came in saying the suspect had returned to the car.
A K9 deputy found Duran hunched over the hood of the car at the time he was arrested, apparently trying to work on the engine.
A clutch of police cars could be seen on Murray Street in Niwot at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday shortly after Duran's arrest.
Duran was taken to Longmont United Hospital after complaining of a seizure before being medically cleared and released to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. He remained in custody at the Weld County Jail without bond on Thursday.
Standridge said Duran is charged with felony child abuse for threatening to kill the man's baby along with class three felony burglary, class five felony menacing, class three felony robbery, first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, class five felony trespassing and theft.
Court records show Duran has convictions dating back to at least 2001 for theft, felony bond condition violations, assault, child abuse, resisting arrest, aggravated motor vehicle theft, violating a protection order, harassment, felony trespassing, obstruction and false reporting.
An insurance adjuster was at the Noterman home Thursday afternoon surveying the damage which was clearly visible through the front door. Friends and family of the Notermans dropped in to check on the couple. One woman held a bottle of wine and another told Ryan Noterman to call if the family needed anything at all.
"We're thankful it didn't turn out worse," Noterman said. "We feel blessed that this is a situation where we are not preparing for funerals, and we can all be here to support each other."
(Times Call - Feb 5, 2015)
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