Tyson Foods suspended its CFO, the son of Chairman John H. Tyson after he was arrested for intoxication for a second time.
The U.S. meatpacker said Curt Calaway, a senior finance executive at the company, will take over as interim CFO.
John R. Tyson, 34, was arrested early Thursday by University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to police records. He was also charged with careless driving and making an illegal turn.
Mr. Tyson was released from custody later Thursday on a $1,105 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.
Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said in a statement Thursday that it was aware of the arrest and immediately suspended John R. Tyson. He is the great-grandson of the company’s founder, John W. Tyson, and a former investment banker who joined Tyson Foods in 2019.
He also serves on the board of directors of Winrock International (Winthrop Rockefeller International), where he co-chairs the audit committee. Furthermore, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think-tank whose membership has included senior politicians, secretaries of state, CIA directors, bankers, professors, and CEOs.
NTD contacted Tyson Foods for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Mr. Tyson’s suspension comes as the meatpacker has warned that consumers are still under pressure from persistent inflation and that higher commodity costs could weigh on its upcoming results.
It was the second time in less than two years that Mr. Tyson was arrested on alcohol-related charges. In November 2022, he was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing after allegedly entering a college-aged female’s home in Fayetteville and falling asleep in her bed.
The company then called it a personal matter but announced that a committee of its board members would oversee and review it.
Corporate governance experts also suggested then that Tyson Foods, the maker of Ball Park hotdogs, should hire an external firm to conduct a review of the arrest.
Mr. Tyson sent a companywide email apologizing for that 2022 incident, saying he was embarrassed and was getting counseling for alcohol abuse. He later pleaded guilty to those charges and settled them by paying fines and court fees.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.