Members of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean search committee said they won’t disqualify one of four finalists for the dean post because of a criminal offense he committed nine years ago.

Court records show Wolfgang Kliemann, associate vice provost for research and professor of mathematics, was arrested in June 1995 for putting false price labels on wine at grocery stores in Clive and West Des Moines.

Mark Engelbrecht, dean of the College of Design and chairman of the dean search committee, said research on candidates must be very thorough. But he said a criminal charge or misdemeanor in the past does not necessarily disqualify a candidate.

“It’s obviously something that needs to be considered,” Engelbrecht said.

Records show Kliemann pleaded guilty to fifth-degree theft and paid a $50 fine. Kliemann said previous charges will not affect his candidacy.

He said he doesn’t believe he will be selected to be the college’s dean, although for reasons not related to the theft case.

Walter Fehr, professor of agronomy and member of the search committee, said only academic reviews were a part of the search. He said a thorough discussion about each candidate was done by the committee.

“It never came up,” Fehr said.

He said he is unsure whether a past criminal offense would affect Kliemann’s candidacy in the search committee’s eyes.

On June 17, 1995, an employee of Dahl’s Grocery, formerly of 9999 University Ave. in Clive, spotted Kliemann placing false, less expensive labels on higher-priced wine, according to police reports.

Kliemann, who was 46 years old at the time, brought in the false wine labels, valued at $7.99, which he had stored in a magazine he took into the store, and then checked out with the cashier. The difference between the actual price and the paid price was $75.73 per bottle, according to police reports.

Police recovered 17 other bottles of wine in two boxes valued at more than $200 stored inside Kliemann’s car, the report states. Police also found double-sided tape and scissors to stick the labels onto the bottles. Kliemann identified which store each bottle was taken from.

“Of course, I am very unhappy about [it],” Kliemann said. “I was not involved in anything illegal.”

Engelbrecht said he would not comment if the committee knew about the incident before Tuesday.

“We were looking for someone who had a track record of good administrative style and prepared to lead and continue a vision for the college,” he said.

The search committee had a meeting with provost Ben Allen Thursday to discuss the results of the search, Engelbrecht said. Engelbrecht wouldn’t reveal the details of that conversation.

“In this search, we are looking for candidates who had strong scholarly credentials, and each of the finalists was particularly exceptional,” he said.

During a forum on March 1, Kliemann said, as Liberal Arts and Sciences dean, he would stress land grant research and incorporating that into the liberal arts and sciences university research, according to Daily staff reports.