The Megachurch pastor is faced with prison to stalk members of a female congregation after being caught breaking into her home twice on CCTV.
Marie Colmuna, 43, said she was “still afraid” about Sergio Guardia, 49, pastor of the famous Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.
According to Lynchburg Circuit Court, Guardia was found guilty last week in jury counts of two robberies and one stalker, facing up to 10 years in prison.
The Lynchburg megachurch was founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. and is affiliated with Liberty University – one of the nation's most famous Baptist churches, and is affiliated with the scandal-hit Southern Baptist Convention.
Marie, 43, the service coordinator for early intervention, reported Guardia's increasingly strange behavior before leaving the church in 2016, but said she “didn't do anything about it.”
A Lynchburg woman talks about her 2023 break-in after being caught in security camera footage.
“I got a notification on my phone that people were in my house because my kids were out of state visiting friends,” recalls Marie.
Footage, taken at 11:30pm on November 10th, was revealed by Guardia, who was walking through the door and sneaking around the kitchen.
“All the lights were gone, so he used a flashlight on his phone. It was very clear that he knew exactly where he was.
In a sweatshirt and jeans, Guardia seemed to have escaped after noticing the camera.
Marie, who installed security cameras about a month ago due to a series of break-ins in the neighborhood, said she called police the next morning.
“I came back on Sunday and agreed to call the officers when I got home. “I wanted to push the fee.”
The next night, while still leaving town, Marie received another warning. This time it shows Guardia going into the backyard.
Camera feed revealed that Guardia will go through the basement and enter her daughter's bedroom.
“The whole basement is my daughter's bedroom. It's like a burrow,” she explained.
Marie, who has a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son, was shocked.
“He got it the same way he did the night before,” she said.
“My daughter unleashed that door previously and her friends came with it. The keys are easy to find on the eye level shelf when you walk.”
Police later confirmed that there were no signs of forced entry, leaving Marie with strong suspicion.
“The door was unlocked or there was a lock.”
Fearing her safety, Marie called the police again.
“I reported that I was breaking in, and it was Sergio Guardia and he was at my house now.”
Officers arrived, pulling guns and searching round all over the house, including bedrooms, closets and even kitchen cabinets.
They also sent the dog to the dog to search for property, but he was not found.
“They searched the garden and the garden of their neighbors,” explained Marie.
The connection was immediate when police showed Marie a photo of Guardia.
“There was no doubt that it was him. Within two hours of that break-in, Sergio was charged and arrested,” she said. “I didn't expect him to break into my house.”
With years of history with Guardia, Marie described their first friendship as intimate.
She first met him when she got married in 2007 and attended a Spanish church service at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
After leaving her husband in 2011, Guardia and his wife encouraged her to return to church. But Guardia's behavior quickly became abnormal, she said.
“He supported me being separated from my husband, but he said I shouldn't talk to men in churches or in churches,” she recalled.
“He saw how many male friends I had on Facebook and told me to delete them and block them.”
After finalizing his divorce in 2015, she said she made Guardia's actions even more concerned.
“He started showing up at my house with groceries, but only when my kids weren't at home. I didn't ask for help, but he'd come anyway,” she explained.
“He started visiting randomly, and he kept coming, even if I said I wasn't comfortable.”
She says Guardia's visit escalated.
“Sometimes, I was pulled up to my house and he was already at my steps, and I felt like there was no way to get away from him,” she said.
Things reached a breakpoint when Guardia was said to have confessed his feelings towards her.
“He said he was in love with me and wanted a relationship. I didn't want him to be in my house either, needless to say, I told him not to come back, but he did.”
She moved many times to escape from Guardia.
However, she says Guardia can find her every time and is even not invited.
“I came home all day and found him in my living room on my laptop.
“When I stood up to him, he handed me over to Gus and he said he had done nothing wrong and was excited to meet me,” she recalled.
“He didn't leave until I picked up the phone and told me I was calling the police.”
Despite these encounters, she did not report him at the time, as she was afraid of his influence.
“He's not just a pastor, he's a pastor at Thomas Lord Baptist Church, a powerful and wealthy church. I didn't think I had any power over him because there was no particular evidence,” she explained.
She eventually moved to her current home, but in the years leading up to the break-in, she noticed suspicious activity on her online account.
“We started getting notifications that our new device was logged in to Yahoo Mail. When we checked our IP address it was linked to Liberty University,” she said.
Marie later discovered that Liberty's email address was listed as a recovery option for her account.
When she deleted it, the login attempt stopped.
Without direct contact for years, Marie was shocked to see Guardia on security camera footage.
“I never imagined he would go this far,” she said. “He had no prior conviction, so they gave him $5,000 in bonds.
“I think he only spent four days in prison and has been out ever since.”
At the pre-hearing hearing scheduled for August 20th, Marie remains horrified despite the protection order against the embarrassment minister.
“I don't think he cares anything,” she said.
According to Marie, Guardia is supported by the highest administration in the church. Executive Pastor Matt Wilmington was a witness to Guardia's character at the Bond Hearing when she testified.
She shared her hope that her story would reach Guardia's blind supporters, and emphasized the importance of the ju-referee's decision.
“I want them to hear my story, especially the fact that the ju-decides felt guilty in all three counts, and he is now considered a felony,” she said.
“I want them to be scared, I want them to feel the fear that everyone should have when they face the consequences of criminal behavior.
“Usually, it is women and children that are affected, and I think it's very rare for the person in charge to be accountable.”
Thomas Road Baptist Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
