A former Ohio teacher was charged after authorities discovered a missing 16-year-old girl inside his home on their third visit, according to court filings.
Jobe Binkley, 48, resides in Springfield, where he was previously employed by the Springfield City School District.
The former educator is charged with one count of inference with custody, according to court records.
The single charge follows the discovery of the 16-year-old girl at his Springfield residence on August 21, according to court records viewed by Us.
The teenager had been considered missing for 263 days, according to a police report viewed by WSYX.
She was last seen at the Huckleberry House in Columbus, where she reportedly ran off in December 2025. That facility supports local youth who have run away from home, are considered at-risk, face homelessness, or need a safe place to stay.
The girl’s family had searched for her for several months before she was allegedly located at the house, per WSYX.
On August 21, an officer working as an agent with the U.S. Marshals Office visited Binkley’s home while investigating the disappearance, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The defendant’s residence “was the last known address that they were believed to be at,” the court filing states.
While speaking with the officer, Binkley allegedly said that the missing girl was inside his house.
“He called for the juvenile and they exited the home,” the investigating officer wrote in the affidavit.
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That discovery followed two prior police visits to the Springfield property where officers did not locate the girl, court filings show.
During those earlier visits, Binkley allegedly refused to let officers inside and told them the missing teenager was not at his house, according to the affidavit.
On both occasions, officers told Binkley the girl “was in fact an active missing person,” the affidavit states.
WSYX reported that Binkley was her former high school science teacher. The news outlet noted that it had not been able to independently verify whether Binkley had taught the teen.
The suspect was previously employed by the Springfield City School District until his firing in February 2025, according to personnel files viewed by the station.
He was fired for allegedly violating an employee technology policy, the records state. Administrators had placed him on administrative leave one month earlier.
In November 2024, Binkley was separately put on administrative leave in connection with alleged concerns over interactions with students, according to his file. The school district was reportedly unable to substantiate claims against him.
Binkley entered a not guilty plea on Saturday, September 12, a court filing shows.
His defense attorney did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday, September 14.
The defendant has been released on bond, court records show.
Binkley is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing set for September 30, according to court records.
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