Killer of two Florida deputies mystery to neighbors

TRENTON, Fla. — A man who investigators say killed two sheriff ’s deputies in rural north Florida was a mystery figure in the small agricultural community rocked by the shooting.

John Hubert Highnote, 58, had bought a house on a quiet, tree-lined dirt road outside of the tiny town of Bell in 2010, but didn’t speak to neighbors and wasn’t familiar at the few restaurants or shops on Main Street. Authorities there said they’d never had any contact with him.

Records show he’d lived previously in St. Petersburg, where he’d had a number of run-ins with the law for minor crimes and misdemeanors, including one arrest for carrying a concealed weapon.

On Thursday, Highnote walked into a Chinese restaurant in the nearby town of Trenton, went up to Gilchrist County deputies Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 30, and deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25, and fired at them before they had a chance to react, authorities said. He then went into his car and killed himself.

Jamie Mauldin, a waitress at Akins Bar-B-Q about a mile from Highnote’s house in Bell said she didn’t know Highnote but that Ramirez and Lindsey were regulars.

“Ramirez was the sweetest ever. He loved his family. Loved his job. Always had a smile,” she said, wearing a freshly made T-shirt that said “Gilchrist Strong.” The proceeds of the shirts will go to the deputies’ families.

A neighbor who has lived across the street from Highnote for five years said he never introduced himself. She only ever saw him when he drove into his garage.

“I’d see him pull in, shut the garage and go in. No lights on or nothing,” said the neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she did not want to be involved in the investigation. She characterized him as a recluse.