Tyson Foods has suspended the company's chief financial officer, John R. Tyson, after he was arrested for alleged driving under the influence.
University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, Arkansas, arrested Tyson, 34, early Thursday for driving under the influence, police records show. Other charges included careless driving and making an illegal turn. He was released the same day on a $1,105 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.
Tyson is the great-grandson of the company's founder, John W. Tyson, and son of the food giant's current chairman, John H. Tyson.
“We are aware that John Randal Tyson, Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, was arrested for an alleged DWI. Tyson Foods has suspended Mr. Tyson from his position effective immediately and appointed Curt Calaway as interim Chief Financial Officer,” said Springdale, Arkansas. based Tyson Foods said in a statement
The incident marks the second time in recent years that Tyson, a former investment banker who joined Tyson Foods in 2019, has been arrested. He was before arrested in 2022 on charges of public intoxication and criminal trespass after allegedly entering a Fayetteville woman's home and falling asleep in her bed. The woman did not know who Tyson was and called the police, KNWA Vos 24 reported at the time.
Tyson pleaded guilty both charged and settled by paying fines and court costs. He also apologized in a company-wide memo and said he was getting help for alcohol abuse.
Tyson, a member of the fourth generation of the family that controls the $19 billion meatpacking company, was named CFO in September 2022. Founded in 1935, Tyson Foods has 139,000 employees and reported 2023 sales of $52.8 billion.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report
