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Tyson Foods Chief Financial Officer John R. Tyson, 32, was arrested for criminal trespassing and public intoxication in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Sunday, according to a police report.
A college-aged female was alarmed to have found Tyson, who she did not know, asleep in her bed upon returning home around 2am, according to the Fayetteville police report. She told reporters that she believes Tyson was able to access the house because her door was left unlocked.
The $24 billion company named John R. Tyson, great-grandson of its founder, CFO in September. Shares of the largest U.S. meat company by sales were down 1.3% on Monday.
The police report cited “Tyson‘s unlawful presence in a house, where he was not invited, paired with the odor of intoxicants, and his general demeanor when confronted by uniformed officers.” Officers said that Tyson smelled strongly of alcohol when they arrived on the scene. Tyson was unable to verbally respond to officers when they woke him up and tried to fall back asleep before being arrested.
The company said in a statement it was aware of the incident and called it a personal matter. John R. Tyson, who was previously the company’s chief sustainability officer, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Tyson family has voting power over about 71% of the company’s outstanding stock, according to regulatory filings. Tyson Foods reports quarterly earnings on Nov. 14.
Questions of conflicts of interest were raised when the 32-year-old Tyson was promoted to CFO in the family-run business according to the Wall Street Journal. The company has a history of promoting family members to positions of power and it was questioned whether John was qualified for the position and if he could be fired if he failed to perform well in the role. Tyson officials denied that there was any conflict of interest at the time.
John R. Tyson was booked at the Washington County detention center and released Sunday evening. He is summoned to court on Dec. 1, according to the police report.
Copyright 2022 Thomson/Reuters (Additions and edits for FISM News by Michael Cardinal)