A man, accused of the double murder of his parents appeared back in court Wednesday on new charges stemming from incidents at the Crawford County Justice Center on Jan. 2 and Jan. 17. Maxwell Anatra, 24, formerly of Crestline, and his attorney, James J. Mayer III, entered not guilty pleas to six new charges filed in a separate case.
The new charges include one count of fourth-degree assault, four counts of assault, all fifth-degree felonies, and one misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing. According to an indictment filed by the Crawford County grand jury on Jan. 27, Anatra is accused of assaulting several correctional officers, as well as a deputy and a sergeant, while housed at the justice center.
Anatra is already facing 11 counts in his original case, including murder charges related to the deaths of his parents, Lisa and Lindsey Anatra. The couple was found deceased at their Crestline home on Nov. 18, 2025.
Crawford County Common Pleas Judge Sean Leuthold recused himself from the new case, as he did in the original proceedings, due to Lisa Anatra’s employment as a domestic relations case manager at the Crawford County Courthouse under his supervision. Both cases are now being presided over by Visiting Judge Daniel T. Hogan of Franklin County, assigned by the Ohio Supreme Court. Hogan set Anatra’s bond at $10,000 in the new case, in addition to his existing $1 million bond.
In a separate matter, a Bucyrus woman was sentenced Jan. 21 to at least a decade in prison for charges stemming from a shooting incident that occurred Oct. 24, 2025. Kaelyn Smith, 22, pleaded guilty during a change of plea hearing to one count of felonious assault and one count of discharging a firearm into a habitation, both second-degree felonies.
The charges arose from a shooting near Reid Street and South Highland Avenue. According to Crawford County Prosecutor Matthew Crall, Smith fired a gun into a residence on Reid Street while the occupant was home. The resident was not injured and was not visible from the street, according to an eyewitness.
Smith was sentenced to a minimum of five years and a maximum of seven and a half years in prison for the felonious assault charge, along with five years for discharging a firearm into a habitation. The sentences are to be served consecutively, resulting in a total prison term of 10 to 12½ years.
The sentence falls under the Reagan Tokes Law, meaning Smith will be released after serving the minimum term unless prison officials extend her incarceration up to the maximum sentence for rule violations. Smith was represented by local attorney Joel Spitzer.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
FreeWire will continue to follow the cases and report on future developments.
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