Tyson Foods suspends company heir, CFO John R. Tyson after drunken arrest

Tyson Foods has suspended the company's chief financial officer, John R. Tyson, after his arrest for alleged drunken driving.

University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, Arkansas, arrested Tyson, 34, early Thursday on charges of driving under the influence, according to police records. Other charges included reckless driving and illegal turning. He was released the same day on $1,105 bail and is due in court July 15.

Tyson is the great-grandson of the company's founder, John W. Tyson, and the son of the food giant's current chairman, John H. Tyson.

“We are aware that John Randal Tyson, Chief Financial Officer of Tyson Foods, has been arrested for an alleged DWI offense. Tyson Foods has suspended Mr. Tyson from his duties effective immediately and has appointed Curt Calaway as interim Chief Financial Officer.” , Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods in a statement said

This is the second time in recent years that Tyson, a former investment banker who joined Tyson Foods in 2019, has been arrested. He was previously stopped in 2022 for public drunkenness and criminal trespass after allegedly entering a Fayetteville woman's home and falling asleep in her bed. The woman didn't know who Tyson was and called police, KNWA Fox 24 reported at the time.

Tyson pleaded guilty to both charges and settled them by paying fines and court costs. He also apologized in a company-wide memo and said he was receiving counseling for alcohol abuse.

A fourth generation member of the family that controls the $19 billion meat processing company, Tyson was named chief financial officer in September 2022. Tyson Foods, founded in 1935, has 139,000 employees and reported a figure of business of $52.8 billion in 2023.

—The Associated Press contributed to this report