Man who shot deputies called ‘a recluse’

TRENTON — 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 to 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 read “Gilchrist Strong.” The proceeds of the shirts will go to the deputies’ families.

A neighbor who lived across the street from Highnote said he never introduced himself, and she rarely saw him when she ran on their dirt road or was out with her kids, only 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.

Investigators say they may never know why he fired the shots at Ace China restaurant, about 35 miles west of Gainesville.

“It’s inexplicable,” State Attorney Bill Cervone said. “People will want to know why, and we may never have an answer for them.”

Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz blamed the deaths on hatred toward law enforcement.

“What do you expect happens when you demonize law enforcement to the extent it’s been demonized?” he said.