LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- He lurks in the shadows, eyeing your doorstep. You probably won't see him, but Ring doorbells in Audubon Park have.
Curiosity is budding. Who is the guy and what is he up to?
"In other places, people come up on your porch to steal something, here in Audubon Park they leave flowers," said the man of mystery now known as the "Flower Bandit."
His actual identity is a secret, but his mission is crystal clear. He delivers flowers -- like it's Valentine's Day or the day after your man got put in the doghouse -- to people he's never met.
The Flower Bandit has a garden that would make Martha Stewart jealous. He clips some of his favorites from it, puts them in bottles, boxes them up, and gets ready for the special deliveries.
The idea bloomed last Mother's Day.
"I had so much fun with it, and got such positive feedback, that I was like man it would be fun just to give it to the whole neighborhood," the "Flower Bandit" explained.
He delivered.
"It's just been a hard time this year for a lot of people, so I think we all appreciate someone doing something like this," said Erin McDowell, who received a flower.
"It did put a smile on our face," said Audubon Park resident Amanda Thomas.
That's the point.
"It's really just about the power of kindness, and how I think we're all starving for it," he said. "There's just not enough of it."
There was a time when he didn't always choose this path.
"I was trained to observe and judge," he explained, as he remembered his time as the Chief Examiner at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. "Sometimes I didn't turn the judgment off when I got home."
His wife suggested a change, and he listened.
"I just found that when I was kind, I felt better, and my reactions with people felt better," the "Flower Bandit" said.
It's in that spirit he remains incognito. He believes the secrecy leaves the focus on the power of the flowers.
"Very refreshing," said McDowell.
All the "Flower Bandit" needs are those smiles he sees from a distance, as he drives away.
"It feels really good," he said.
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