A former Springfield teacher faces a criminal charge after authorities say they found a teenage girl, missing from Columbus for more than eight months, at his home.
Jobe Binkley, 48, faces one count of interfering with custody, a first-degree misdemeanor, according to Clark County Municipal Court records.
The teenager had been missing since leaving a Columbus transitional living facility in December.
State educator licensing records show Binkley has held teaching credentials in integrated science since 2018. He currently holds a five-year substitute teaching license that expires June 30, 2029.
Here’s what we know about Binkley, the charge against him and his teaching history.
What is Jobe Binkley accused of?
According to a probable-cause affidavit filed in Clark County Municipal
Court, an officer working with the U.S. Marshals Service went to Binkley’s Springfield home Aug. 21 after investigators identified it as the teenager’s last known location.
Binkley told the officer the girl was inside and called for her to come outside, according to court records.
Officers had previously visited Binkley’s home twice while searching for the teenager. During those visits, Binkley refused to let officers enter and said she was not there despite being told she was listed as missing, the affidavit states.
A criminal complaint alleges Binkley knowingly allowed the girl to remain in his home while knowing she was an active missing person.
Binkley pleaded not guilty and was released on a $2,500 bond. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30 in Clark County Municipal Court.
The court records do not explain how Binkley and the teenager knew each other or establish whether he was ever her teacher.
What does Binkley’s Ohio teaching history show?
Binkley’s first listed Ohio credential was a one-year, long-term substitute license for grades 7-12. The license, issued in August 2018, allowed him to teach integrated science and expired in June 2019.
In August 2019, he received a four-year alternative resident educator license in integrated science. That credential was valid specifically in the Springfield City School District and expired in June 2023.
The profile listed several requirements that had to be completed before that license expired, including professional education coursework, a professional knowledge exam and reading or phonics coursework.
Binkley submitted three applications to extend or renew the alternative license: in April 2023, August 2023 and March 2024. State records show all three applications were denied but do not explain why or whether Binkley completed the requirements attached to the license.
Binkley received a one-year substitute license in August 2023 and a five-year license in September 2024. Both credentials listed integrated science as his teaching field.
His five-year substitute license remains listed as issued and expires in June 2029. The public profile does not display disciplinary action against the credential.
Why was Binkley fired from Springfield schools?
Binkley formerly worked as a science teacher for the Springfield City School District.
According to personnel records reviewed by Dispatch news partner NBC4, Binkley was placed on unpaid administrative leave in November 2024. He returned later that month after the district determined that unspecified allegations against him were unsubstantiated.
The district placed him on leave again in January 2025 over allegations of misconduct involving unprofessional behavior. He was fired the following month.
A district spokesperson told NBC4 that officials did not know about the current allegations involving the missing teenager when Binkley was terminated.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-Springfield teacher faces charge after missing Columbus teen found
