John R. Tyson, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Tyson Foods Inc. and great-grandson of the company’s founder, was arrested on Nov. 6 after allegedly becoming intoxicated and falling asleep in the wrong home.
Fayetteville, AR, police arrested Tyson after a woman allegedly arrived at her house to find him in the bedroom. According to the police report, police attempted to wake Tyson, but he laid back down in an attempt to continue sleeping. In the police report, officers noted there was an odor of intoxicants on his breath and body.
Tyson was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing charges.
Tyson said in a memo to the company, first reported by The Associated Press, that the conduct was “inconsistent with my personal values, the company’s values and the high expectations we hold for each other.” Tyson was named as CFO in late September and was set to address investors on Nov. 14 for an earnings report.
Joseph Grundfest, a senior faculty member in the corporate governance center at Stanford University, told the Wall Street Journal, “Serious institutional investors will hold the family’s feet to the fire and will be asking difficult questions.”
