Details continue to emerge on the life of Joshua Hakken, the man accused of kidnapping his two sons with his wife and heading to Cuba in a sailboat.
The 35-year-old graduated from Dunnellon High School in 1996, according to our partner newspaper The Citrus Chronicle.
“He was just a normal kid, who was very intelligent,” Dunnellon High teacher Steve Northsea told the Chronicle.
“He was a very good kid; all of the Hakkens’ kids were good. It was really a shock to hear that his life had taken such a turn. He did get the scholarship (to the U.S. Air Force Academy). We were all extremely pleased. You just never know how your students are going to turn out,” he continued.
Hakken attended the Academy for two years, but did not graduate.
"He was a great kid, very smart,” said Dunnellon High assistant principal Debbie Love.
“I figured he’d go on to become an engineer. When I heard the news, I just said, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I was totally shocked. I never thought he’d do something like this,” she said.
“It’s hard to talk anything negative about him. He never had a temper, he always cooperated. He was always a part of the team. He showed up on time to meetings and events that he had going on,” said former classmate Tony Shaff.
The Hakkens gained national attention after police accused the Joshua and Sharyn of tying up the boys' grandmother, kidnapping them and disappearing with them.
Several days later, they turned up in a sailboat in Havana, Cuba.
No one was injured.
The Hakken children, 2-year-old Chase and 4-year-old Cole are now with their maternal grandparents.
Joshua and his wife Sharyn face kidnapping and other charges.
The Hakkens are currently in the Hillsborough County Jail.
His bond is set at $154,000. No bond information is listed for Sharyn Hakken.
The couple’s next pretrial hearing is set for May 30.
Before this, police in Louisiana said they discovered the Hakkens in a Slidell hotel room with the children. Police say the parents had drugs and weapons and were discussing Armageddon.