The inheritor to a frozen health-food empire was ordered quarantined and barred from seeing his three children after he went out “partying” amid the coronavirus disaster — and overtly left a stash of medicine within the Hamptons residence the place they have been staying with a nanny, The Submit has discovered.
Larry Praeger — whose late dad, coronary heart surgeon Peter Praeger, co-founded Dr. Praeger’s Purely Smart Meals — claimed he needed to make a phone name earlier than ducking out round 4:30 p.m. on April 29, based on court docket papers.
However Prager, who’s now CEO of the corporate famed for its veggie burgers, didn’t return for about seven hours and appeared “intoxicated” when he lastly confirmed up round 11:30 p.m., estranged spouse Brenna Praeger claims within the Manhattan Supreme Courtroom submitting.
Within the meantime, the couple’s children started texting and FaceTiming with Brenna round 7 p.m. as a result of they have been “upset” and “scared” that their dad hadn’t come residence, based on the authorized papers, that are tied to the couple’s bitter divorce case.
One youngster even despatched texts that stated “my head Hurts to dying” and “Mommy I really feel like I’m bout to die,” a screenshot that’s a part of the submitting exhibits.
Brenna hopped into an Uber and rushed from Manhattan to the couple’s five-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Water Mill, getting there round 11:15 p.m. and allegedly discovering “unknown drug substances, drugs and drug paraphernalia strewn alongside the countertop in her main bedroom.”
“The medication have been absolutely uncovered with no efforts to hide them,” the court docket papers say.
Brenna claims to have shot photographs that present what look like psychedelic mushrooms in a plastic baggie, in addition to a tin of cannabis-infused mints, a vaping system and a small, pyramid-shaped object in a gold wrapper.
The photographs additionally present two bottles of prescription drugs, considered one of which seems to be labeled with Larry’s title and to comprise “amphetamine salts,” that are used to deal with ADHD and narcolepsy.
Brenna claims she additionally discovered “comparable paraphernalia and medicines” in a protected within the residence in Could 2019, with a photograph exhibiting objects together with a rolled-up plastic bag, a crinkled bundle of aluminum foil and a carrying case for a “Kingpen”-brand hashish vaping pen.
About 10 minutes after Brenna arrived on the Water Mill home, Larry returned, and she or he locked the door to the storage to maintain him out, which prompted him to start out screaming, pounding on the door and “threatening her that she would by no means set foot on this home once more,” court docket papers say.
Larry in some way bought inside however allegedly left when Brenna agreed at hand over a backpack from the toilet filled with unknown objects that she “was by no means capable of {photograph}.”
Courtroom papers say Brenna had spent 9 days on the home with the youngsters earlier than leaving them there with Larry on April 26.
“Inside 72 hours of Mr. Praeger being chargeable for the events [sic] Kids, he left them with their nanny…so he might exit partying,” court docket papers say.
Brenna’s April 30 submitting sought an emergency order awarding her non permanent custody of the youngsters and unique use of the Water Mill residence, in addition to drug testing of Larry inside 24 hours and random testing afterward.
A supply accustomed to the matter stated that Justice Douglas Hoffman granted the requests and that Larry was present process 30 days of random, twice-weekly urine and hair-follicle testing for medication together with psilocybin and LSD.
Hoffman additionally ordered Larry quarantined for 14 days, the supply stated.
Larry’s lawyer declined to remark.
Brenna couldn’t be reached and her lawyer didn’t reply to inquiries.