Probation for Former UNI Dance Director for Theft

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A former dance director accused of stealing from the University of Northern Iowa has been given probation.

Fifty-two-year-old Daniel Wells was sentenced Monday to two to five years of probation. He'd submitted an Alford plea to a reduced theft charge. Under an Alford plea, a defendant maintains innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence for conviction. Wells also was given a deferred judgment, which means the conviction will be removed from his record if he successfully completes probation.

Wells was hired in 2006 to direct the university's International Dance Theatre. In 2014 an unrelated investigation turned up blank checks and check carbon copies in his office. Authorities say a subsequent state audit uncovered more than $15,000 in improper disbursements and undeposited collections.