DeShane Reed faced a judge after arrests for stealing shoes and having marijuana in a dorm room derailed his football scholarship at a Missouri university.More than a decade later, Reed cites that criminal record as a turning point that shook him. In response, he started working with troubled youth, a path that led to the announcement Monday of his appointment as the superintendent of the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center.Reed, 36, had worked for two years as assistant superintendent of the Greene County Juvenile Detention Center in Springfield, Mo., where his bosses called him a confident leader.He will be the Marion County lockup’s third superintendent in less than three years as it continues with a reform effort spurred by concerns over the safety, security and education provided to detainees. He succeeds Richard L. Curry Jr., who left in September after a 20-month tenure.Reed said his legal troubles, which resulted in probation and an early exit from Southwest Missouri State University in 1995, have helped him connect with youth. He earned an undergraduate degree in 2003, but he disclosed his criminal record to Marion Superior Court officials up front.“I don’t think (this career) would have happened without me having this hiccup,” he said, noting that he couldn’t bring himself to tell his mother about the arrests before her death a few years ago. He is the youngest of 12 children.Reed said he looked forward to the challenge of moving from a 24-bed facility to a large urban detention center with 144 beds and a self-imposed cap of 112 detainees.Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, the supervising judge over the detention center, said Reed’s experience in training and treatment programs and in school administration would serve him well. His contract includes an agreement to earn a master’s degree, she said.In Greene County, he developed an evening reporting center that required low- and medium-risk offenders to attend programs five nights a week in lieu of detention. Marion Superior Court officials hope to start a similar program.“I consider him a great example of what leadership looks like,” said Perry Epperly, Greene County’s family court administrator and chief juvenile officer. “Marion County is fortunate to have a man not just of his present competence but also great potential.”Reed also worked with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. The Marion County center also has joined the initiative, which aims to reduce lockup populations and create programs that reduce repeat offenses.Marion County juvenile court Judge Marilyn Moores applauded Reed’s involvement in the Casey program and his enthusiasm for his new job.As Reed met with his management staff Monday, the challenge was clear. Despite security gains at the center, Indianapolis police and internal investigations are still under way into two recent reported assaults, one against a detainee and another against a staff member.