Enceladus’s brightly reflective moon appears before Saturn’s rings while the larger moon Titan looms in the distance. NASA
“I think the very word stalking implies that you’re not supposed to like it. Otherwise, it would be called ‘fluffy harmless observation time.'” ―
Sergio Guardia had perfect SBC credentials.
Another day, another arrest of an SBC pastor/employee. I heard this was a big story up in Lynchburg. Sergio Guardia had ties to all the “right” organizations for a Southern Baptist: Liberty University, Thomas Road Baptist Church, and SBC Virginia.
This is from his current LinkedIn account.
Sergio Guardia was arrested for stalking, breaking, and entering.
ABC15 News reported: Lynchburg woman accuses former pastor of breaking into her home, stalking. You can see the interview at that link. According to Marie Columna, his victim, who was interviewed by ABC 15:
She met Guardia through his position as the Spanish pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church. He claimed to be helping her through the divorce from her husband. Yet, for over six years, she was suspicious that he might be stalking her. She finally caught him in the act after setting up Ring video around her house. When she was out of town, he entered a couple of times.
The victim provided the following video of his break-in. It sure looks like Guardia.
It appears the police thought this intruder was likely Guardia and arrested him. ABC 13 News reported: Police arrest pastor on three charges, including stalking, according to court documents.
The warrants said the pastor was arrested on three charges. The first is stalking: which places another person in reasonable fear of death, assault, etc., and two counts of breaking and entering.
As is usual, his name quickly disappeared from the SBC Virginia website, and a representative of this august body released the following statement.:
On Wednesday a representative with SBC Virginia said, “Sergio Guardia is no longer employed by the SBC of Virginia. He resigned in November. We have been made aware that he is dealing with legal matters, and because of the legalities involved we have no further comment. We continue to pray for the Guardia family during this time.”
Stalking should be taken seriously.
When Columna said she believed that Guardia may have stalked her over six years, I knew this situation should be taken seriously. The NIH published The Prevalence and Effects of Stalking in 2020, and it is well worth reading. I found the following section of interest.
The Clinical Perspective
Stalking is a widespread problem. Because victims of stalking have an elevated risk of mental and physical illness and may present unspecific symptoms when they consult a physician, questioning should include the possibility of stalking. Should it emerge that stalking has taken place, the physician should not just treat somatic or psychic symptoms, but rather view themself as one element of a complex aid system. Victims should be told they can seek advice from the police and, if applicable, file charges. In many parts of Germany the police force has units that specialize in advice and prevention. Physicians should also tell stalking victims that it may be a good idea to consult a lawyer about the legal options available for use against stalkers.When treating victims of stalking, the possibility of violent escalation must be considered. Dynamic risk estimation is essential. Crucial risk factors include concrete suicide plans by the stalker, concrete death fantasies, last resort thinking (“if I can’t have her, no-one else is going to have her”), psychopathic personality traits of the stalker, earlier violent actions by the stalker, damage to the victim’s property, access to weapons, physical proximity (verbal confrontation, gaining entry to residence), impulsiveness, low tolerance of frustration, and substance abuse. The risk must be continually reassessed, because the risk factors can change over time. The danger of violent escalation may increase, for example, when a stalker receives a court order to keep his or her distance or is banned by the family court from having contact with shared children. In such situations it may be expedient to introduce concrete protective measures for the victim, e.g., accompaniment by trusted persons.
Since Columna suspects that stalking has occurred over six years, she may be at risk if the courts grant her a “noncontact protective order.” It is possible that this could cause Guardia’s behavior to escalate. One of the risk factors (highlighted by Dee above) is physical proximity, such as gaining entrance to a residence. Columna appears to have proven that Guardia has entered her residence at least twice without permission. Therefore, as highlighted above, it would be in Columna’s best interest to introduce protective measures to ensure her safety.
Final thoughts
- Columna appears to have been stalked by Guardia over a prolonged period. I believe she is at risk for further actions by Guardia. If he has truly stalked her for six years, an enforced no-contact period may cause his behavior to escalate.
- I suggest that Thomas Road Baptist Church assist Columna in finding and then financially supporting protection. Will they?
- Here is one more person, Guardia, to add to the database of abusers in the SBC. Wait…there still isn’t one available, is there?
- Why does the SBC have so many instances of reported abuse?
Request:
This post opened my eyes to the dangers of stalking. I have much more to learn. I would like to post more stories of victims who have been abused by stalkers. Please let me know if I can be of help to any of these victims.
In the video, it looked like when Stalker-Pastor entered the kitchen he immediately saw the camera and beat feet back. It also looked like he walked right through an unlocked door at the rear of the home. I’m guessing this is because it was his second visit and he had already broken in the same door.
BTW, was Stalker-Pastor at a 9Marx church? There have been cases where a junior pastor stalks a member who is attempting to quit their church without permission, and he looks like this wasn’t his first stalking mission.
Maybe we should tell a tale or two?
“Why does the SBC have so many instances of reported abuse?”
Too much flesh and not enough Spirit in SBC pulpits these days. Too many men who “go” into ministry with a mission without being “called” into ministry to fulfill the Great Commission. Too many churches who blindly trust church leaders. Too much counterfeit and not enough genuine in the whole of the SBC.
I think all male pastors need to have an injection of Depo Provera on a regular basis to make them safe for “ministry.”
I do volunteer work with abused women. Stalking is very dangerous. It indicates an insane level of entitlement. Modern electronics have made it possible for stalkers to stalk in all sorts of creepy ways. I can’t imagine how scary this must be for this poor woman.
It indicates an insane level of entitlement.
R,
Pastoral (male, in general) entitlement has officially, formally been baked into the SBC pie for nearly 25 years. They started making changes to the recipe long before then.
SBC churches seem to be perfect hunting grounds for someone with certain inclinations.
Two degrees from Liberty U, AKA The CHRISTIAN Cuck & Cougar Show.
and the sbc leaders do not care at all about the victims.
I doubt stalking is caused by either male only pastorates or male privilege. This is a serious mental illness on the part of the stalker. And stalkers can be female.
I do think the current theology of “God makes everyone perfect and loves everything about us” means those that have deviancies will take that for one great big hall pass to do exactly as they please.
Inclinations? Perhaps it would help if SBC church leaders prayed this every morning to “incline” them to lean differently:
“Incline my heart not to submit or consent to any evil thing or to be occupied in deeds of wickedness” (Psalms 141:4).
“The pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, Steven Smith, told his congregation Sunday that he is willing to step down for failing to inform them that a former church official charged with guiding children had been credibly accused of abusing minors at the church.
“If at any point now [or] in the future, this church believes God’s anointing or call upon my service at Immanuel has been lifted, I will not resist the will of the church,” Smith, with his wife, Ashley, by his side, told congregants at the end of the 9 a.m. service in a statement that was not broadcast online by the church, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “
Isn’t this where the Moral Majority used to hang out?!!
Perhaps it would help if SBC church leaders prayed this every morning to “incline” them to lean differently
Max,
I wish they would inclined to stop protecting the wolves and start protecting the sheep!
senecagriggs,
Yep. And this wolf-protecting pastor chose NOT to share the information he had with any members of the congregation.
https://baptistnews.com/article/prominent-arkansas-sbc-church-accused-of-hiding-knowledge-of-former-staff-members-abuse-of-child/
” Meanwhile, the Southern Baptist church where he last served had been hailed by its well-known pastor as a place free of any potential abuse. Now, the legal counsel for both sides are members of that same church. And the pastor is in hot water for not informing the congregation of the allegations.” …….
“ According to reports in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, most members at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., did not know Miller had been arrested, charged with a crime, convicted or sentenced.”
……. “ After leaving Immanuel Baptist in Little Rock, Miller moved to First Baptist Church of Moore, Okla., in suburban Oklahoma City. There, he served as associate pastor to children for two years, resigning just months before his 2018 arrest ”
It’s a serious church problem.
If a pastor protects wolves, is this a pastor? With the HS gift of pastoring? (Ephesians 4) Where is the HS gift of Discernment in that pastor’s church?
If a shepherd doesn’t do everything he can to protect the sheep, is he really a shepherd? Or just another wolf in shepherd’s clothing? Wolves are more successful when they run in packs.
“because of the legalities involved we have no further comment. We continue to pray for the Guardia family”
They take strong stands against sin— except when the alleged perp is a former employee. Then they can’t say nothing, ‘cause the former employee will sue! It’s what they do!
Also they pray for the alleged perp’s family but forget to pray for the alleged victim…..
This rot will continue as long as “the pastorate” is a career.
Men worried about how they will pay the mortgage or put food on the table for the kids, or about their retirement benefits, will always circle the wagons about a miscreant. To do ANYTHING else puts their own finances at risk. Who knows when they will do something considered “fire worthy” and be axed? So they cover up and aid and abet to keep things under wraps and create a culture where the pastor cannot be touched.
News flash: you don’t need hired clergy. In fact, you don’t need clergy. If you are unsaved, they cannot save you. If you are saved, you are a priest.
If their gift is preaching, and the church of their equals so calls them, they get to preach. Period, comma, and quotation mark. That’s it folks.
Let them preach for free and ALL this protecting of turf goes away.
Just an FYI for folks that know SBC history: this Immanuel Pastor Steven Smith is the son of Bailey Smith…. 1980 SBC president who was a leader in the conservative takeover.
then Immanuel would be considered an SBC “flagship” church … they should have done better there
The question is, does Smith (rather than the church) believe that not reporting child abuse affects his anointing and call? What does God think about it?
Which ain’t gonna’ happen in SBC-land until there’s a big scandal with a big $$ payout.
Boston is very Irish and very Catholic, and it took them awhile to clean up their Diocese.
In a similar fashion, it may take awhile for Baptist-land below the Mason-Dixon line to do anything.
Did anyone respond: yes please. Do step down and be an example and a warning to other younger pastors. Protect those sheep!
My apologies to everyone….so far, I’ve only read Dee’s post. And my apologies for any typos, etc….although it’s no excuse, I’m very tired.
Dee,
I wouldn’t normally do this if the topic of stalking weren’t so important — including the topic of proxy (multi-person) stalking. And not all countries (not yet, anyway) consider stalking a crime…
Although I realize it mightn’t be necessary, I’ve gotten permission from Reaching Out to copy her comment from Barbara Robert’s blog A Cry For Justice into your comment thread on this post….and I’ve read Suzanne Joubert’s book. The proxy stalking she’s endured is truly awful.
Begin copied comment:
Hi Suzanne,
I hope you don’t mind….after doing some research into your book (including skimming through some of the Look Inside sample of the hard cover edition), I’ve added an Amazon link to the Kindle edition of your book. 🙂
The quote below is from Suzanne Joubert’s Book This Therapist Likes to Play:
1[August 28, 2023: For readers who might be interested in further information on the term Proxy Stalking, we’ve added a link to a The Perquimans Weekly article titled Many unwittingly enable ‘proxy stalking’, by Chris Day (The Daily Advance), January 31, 2023. The Internet Archive link is a copy of that page. Editors.]
End copied comment.
The Internet Archive link on Proxy Stalking that was included is:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230828161447/https://www.dailyadvance.com/perquimans/news/local/many-unwittingly-enable-proxy-stalking/article_5cdde174-9cd6-57d4-9442-73188a815ef8.html
linda,
Makes sense.
Interesting parallel.
Nancy2(aka Kevlar),
What??? It’s all in the family?
Never mind….it is happening at my church and at our local mission board. You are a relative?? You’re in the inner circle, and all is well.
Very concerning….and very wrong.
Remember Boz T?
In all his years as a prosecutor, he NEVER saw a church take the side of the victims.
Only “RALLY ROUND THE PERP, BOYOOS! GAWD SAITH!”
Circle the wagons, keep calm, and carry on, as they say.
When Protect the Perp is the main thing. So Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing?
In this case, with this Main Thing, whose church is it? We have freedom of religion in this country, so what religion is it? What or Whom is being worshipped?
One thing that the doc “Let Us Prey” made clear about the Independent Fundamental Baptists and such, is that:
1. fun youth programs
2. wonderful family activities
3. a place to belong
4. Kumbaya
… and all the good stuff about church is deadly when predators are on the prowl. Not worth it. Not worth for anyone with a conscience about those vulnerable to the monsters in disguise prowling.
i.e. They become BAIT for the trap.
“THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM! THE SYSTEM WORKS JUST FINE (FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEE)!”
Anyone remember the Bjork Stalker?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_L%C3%B3pez_(stalker)
Except that was probably the Ultimate Celebrity Obsession Stalker.
This one could also be a Calculated Intimidation Stalker – such “Hot Surveillance” is a standard intimidation tactic; “We Know Where You Live, We Can Do Anything To You At Any Time.”
Does anyone remember the scene early in the 1981 TV movie The Bunker where the Inner Ring of Bohrmann, Goebbels, and Himmler corner Speer and go all High School Mean Girls Clique on him?
You talk a lot about Wolves here.
Do you know the RL march order of a large Wolf pack on the move?
1) Two or three of the older/weaker wolves “walking point”, scouting ahead of the others. If they’re attacked…
2) A little over half the male wolves (these in their fighting prime), the main muscle of the pack, acting as the “sweep”.
3) Then the bitches and pups, protected in the center of the formation.
4) The rest of the males in their prime, guarding the rear.
5) Finally the Alpha Male/Pack Patriarch bringing up the rear, apparently checking for stragglers.
Like I keep saying, Wolves have more class than these feral junkyard dogs with Long Prayers and Proof Texts.