Former Tyson Foods CFO pleads guilty to DWI

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — John R. Tyson, the former CFO of Tyson Foods, pleaded guilty to charges of driving while intoxicated and careless driving following his arrest in June.

Tyson, who is the great-grandson of the company’s founder, entered his plea Thursday, Oct. 17 in Washington County District Court in Fayetteville on the misdemeanor charges, according to the Fayetteville Prosecutor’s Office.

He has been ordered to pay $820 in fines and fees and complete 32 hours of community service.

The company suspended Tyson from his CFO role in June after police from the University of Arkansas observed the 34-year-old driving his SUV erratically , exceeding the speed limit and hitting a curb while making an improper turn, according to a police report.

Police said Tyson’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. He had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in July.

This June incident marked Tyson’s second alcohol-related arrest in Northwest Arkansas since taking on the CFO role . In Nov. 2022, he was arrested for being found intoxicated and asleep in the wrong house in Fayetteville.

He paid a $440 fine and pleaded guilty to charges of public intoxication and criminal trespass.

Tyson finance executive Curt Calaway was appointed as the new CFO in August .

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