A Columbia man charged with filming patrons in the restroom of Columbia Public Library is facing additional counts of rape and sodomy and has since fled to Iceland.

Court records filed in Western Missouri U.S. District Court show 42-year-old Jay Paul Robinson is facing federal charges for fleeing to avoid prosecution. While his current whereabouts are unknown, federal agents believe he has traveled to Reykjavík, Iceland to avoid prosecution for state charges and multiple other sex crimes discovered during the course of the investigation.

Robinson was arrested Aug. 2 on suspicion of invasion of privacy after officers responded to library staff’s discovery of a hidden camera in a restroom. Video from the camera showed patrons using the restroom and Robinson concealing it, according to a city press release.

Federal agents, in the affidavit filed Thursday, stated the footage obtained from the camera found in the library and evidence obtained from other electronic devices following the execution of a search warrant showed Robinson committing multiple additional sex crimes.

Additional charges too were filed under seal on Oct. 19 in Boone County and include rape and 11 counts of sodomy.

“A computer analysis was conducted of the computer evidence located during the execution of the search warrants, which revealed several disturbing images of sexual assault, forcible rape, sodomy and invasion of privacy by Robinson, including but not limited to, the repeated and forcible rape of (victim) after he had drugged her,” FBI agent Cody Abram wrote in the affidavit.

Additional images taken inside the library restroom were also discovered on Robinson’s computer resulting in nine additional state invasion of privacy charges.

“There were additional images located on the hard drive, which depicted hidden camera footage taken inside Robinson’s residence and the library,” Abram writer. “Men, women and children were captured on the video from the digital camera that had been hidden in the library’s public, unisex bathroom.”

Days after his arrest and the subsequent search warrants were executed, Robinson apparently fled the country. A witness told authorities her received in May a small financial windfall of about $30,000 and had withdrawn $7,000, informing family he was leaving to work abroad as a handyman.

“I didn’t have a phone,” Robinson told family members in an email. “I fear you have no idea how bad this is going to get. I am meeting with an attorney Monday morning. I am pretty certain I am going to be going away for a quite long time. There is no way to undo the hurt and disgustingness I have done. At least this will keep me from causing more damage. I took half the money out of the old Rangeline account and half the High Point account to pay a retainer.”

Columbia Police detectives contacted Homeland Security Special Agent Christopher A. Hessenflow, who discovered that Robinson on Aug. 5 booked a flight from Chicago to Reykjavik, Iceland.

ppratt@columbiatribune.com

815-1718