A former pastor at the Spanish campus of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been sentenced to an 11-year prison term after being convicted of stalking a former church member. The judge suspended most of the sentence, and Sergio Guardia will spend only four months behind bars.
Thomas Road Baptist Church was famously founded by Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell Sr. in 1956. The church is now pastored by Falwell’s son, Jonathan Falwell. The church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
The case sprang from incidents that occurred in November 2023, when Guardia twice broke into the home of Marie Columna. Footage of Guardia entering Columna’s home was captured by a security camera.
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Columna said at the time that the incidents were the culmination of a years-long pattern of stalking.
Columna has recounted that she had been an attender of Thomas Road Baptist Church’s Spanish-speaking campus, where Guardia was pastor, until she left in 2016 after Guardia made her feel uncomfortable.
Columna said that the issues began shortly after her divorce was finalized and Guardia took an active interest in counseling her. She said it soon became clear that Guardia’s interest in her was romantic in nature.
After Columna left the church, she said that Guardia stalked her for more than six years. Nevertheless, she expressed shock that he would break into her home.
“Why was he in my house?” she said. “It took me a really, really long time to stop asking myself that question, and I still don’t have an answer.”
Guardia no longer works at the church, and he is also no longer affiliated with the SBC of Virginia, where he formerly worked.
On March 12 of this year, Guardia was found guilty of two counts of burglary and one count of stalking. On Oct. 17, he received his mostly suspended prison sentence of 11 years.
