Dive Brief:

• Ex-Tyson Foods CFO John R. Tyson on Thursday pleaded guilty in an Arkansas court to charges of driving while intoxicated and careless driving, according to reports. He is the great grandson of the company’s founder and the son of company chairman John H. Tyson. 
• Tyson, who was removed from his position as finance chief for the Springdale, Arkansas-based chicken processing giant in August, agreed to pay penalties and to serve 32 hours of community service, while a 90-day jail sentence was suspended, according to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. Both publications cited details from a court docket filed in the Washington County District Court in Arkansas. 
• Tyson’s plea follows after he was arrested by University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, Arkansas in June, CFO Dive sister publication Agriculture Dive previously reported. It was the second alcohol-related arrest for Tyson since he was appointed CFO in October of 2022. He was charged with criminal trespassing and public intoxication in 2022.

Dive Insight:

Tyson was arrested in June by police after an officer saw a silver SUV make an improper stop at a traffic light close to the university, Agriculture Dive previously reported. Tyson identified himself after the officer conducted a traffic stop, and eventually admitted to consuming several alcoholic beverages prior to the incident.  

In association with his plea, Tyson will pay a fine of between $820 and $960, according to differing reports by the WSJ and Bloomberg.

Tyson was suspended effective immediately from his duties as CFO in June following his arrest, according to a statement on the company’s website. The chicken producer tapped company veteran Curt Calaway to serve as interim CFO after Tyson’s suspension, a move which drew on Calaway’s 18 years of experience at the company, CFO Dive previously reported.

Calaway had previously served as CFO of the company’s prepared foods division before taking on the interim CFO seat and held various roles including a stint as its SVP and treasurer — a background which made him a strong candidate for a permanent CFO pick, experts told CFO Dive at the time. Later in August, Tyson Foods officially named Calaway as its finance chief, according to a securities filing.

The swift suspension of Tyson from his CFO responsibilities represented a turn from the company’s response to his 2022 arrest, which occurred just a month after he was first appointed as CFO. The company’s board conducted two reviews of the 2022 incident and concluded it had “continued confidence” in his ability to serve as its CFO, CFO Dive previously reported. Tyson plead guilty to the 2022 charges and agreed to pay $440 in fines.

However, even before his 2022 arrest, Tyson’s appointment as finance chief raised flags with experts. His relative youth — Tyson was 32 at the time of his appointment — and lack of experience combined with his family ties led board governance experts to note concerns that the appointment could represent a conflict of interest without proper governance in place, CFO Dive previously reported.

The chicken producer has remained focused on improving its business “fundamentals” in the midst of its CFO transition, executives said during Tyson’s Q3 earnings report in early August. The company’s chicken segment saw its highest third quarter profit in eight years, with profit hitting $244 million, CFO Dive previously reported. Calaway, then interim CFO, noted the business’s priorities were to “maintain financial strength,” including honing in on its capital expenditures.

Tyson Foods did not immediately respond to requests for comment.