BATON ROUGE – A Catholic priest was found hours after his phone “pinged” in Baton Rouge near LSU and also showed up in St. Landry Parish.

The “ping” shows where a cell phone was with some accuracy. A cell phone provider assists authorities in the process.

The “ping” performed this weekend was for the phone of Father Juilus Ohiaege, a Nigerian who is assigned to St. Leo the Great Church in St. Landry Parish. Father Ohiaege had not been seen since dropping off another priest at the airport in Lafayette Sunday, authorities told ABC affiliate KATC TV in Lafayette.

Father Ohiaege was found Monday evening along I-49 near the Ville Platte exit, the station reported on its website.  A driver recognized the car Ohiaege was known to be driving, and called authorities.  Deputies in the area found the car and pulled the priest over. 

Ohiaege is a member of the Claretian Missionaries Religious Congregation in Nigeria and is temporarily in residence at St. Leo in Leonville.

Previously, local authorities said they believed the priest was lost.  It's not clear what Ohiaege may have been doing in Baton Rouge.  

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