An heir to the Tyson Foods corporation and $2.5 billion Tyson family fortune has been suspended from his role as the company's CFO after he was arrested for drunken driving early Thursday morning, multiple outlets reported, the second time in as many years he’s been arrested near the company’s headquarters in Arkansas.
John R. Tyson speaks on stage at Sheraton New York on Sept. 21, 2022.
John R. Tyson, 34, was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with DWI (driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit of .08), improper turning and careless driving, local ABC affiliate KHBS first reported.
Tyson was held for nine hours and released on a $1,105 bond, the Associated Press reported, and is scheduled to appear in court Friday.
He was suspended from his position as chief financial officer of Tyson Foods, the company his great-grandfather founded, the firm said in a statement.
The arrest was the second for Tyson in Fayetteville, Arkansas, about 10 miles from the Tyson headquarters in Springdale.
Tyson stock was down about 1.8% as of around 3:15 p.m. EDT on Thursday, trading at $53.75.
John R. Tyson is the son of Tyson Foods chairman and former CEO John H. Tyson and the great-grandson of company founder John W. Tyson. He was promoted to CFO of Tyson Foods from his role as chief sustainability officer in September 2022. Last fall, when he was 32 years old, he was arrested after a college-aged woman found him asleep in her home. Body camera footage of his arrest showed him appearing to be disoriented before police took him into custody. He was charged with criminal trespass and public intoxication and later apologized to shareholders on a call. "I'm embarrassed, and I want to let you know that I take full responsibility for my actions," he told investors.
The Tyson family is worth an estimated $2.5 billion, ranking No. 1,332 on the Forbes' list of billionaires. Tyson, known for its frozen meat products, also owns brands like Hillshire Farms, Jimmy Dean and Aidells sausages.