Charges are growing against an actor from “Dances With Wolves”, who is accused of molesting and trafficking Indigenous girls and women in the U.S.
Nathan Chasing Horse was indicted by a grand jury in Nevada on Wednesday. The charges, which included sexual assault, child abuse, trafficking, and kidnapping were expanded to include lewdness, drug trafficking, and kidnapping. Chasing Horse is now facing charges in four jurisdictions. The newest case was brought by prosecutors in Montana’s Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
Police in Las Vegas described Chasing horse as a cult-leader who used his self-proclaimed position as a medicine man to gain access Indigenous girls and women who he sexually and physically assaulted, and took as wives underage. Prosecutors accused him of grooming girls to replace older wives. His followers in The Circle, a cult that he led, believed he was a healer and could communicate with higher spirits.
The Associated Press reported that Kristy Holston was eager to expose the holes in the state case during a pre-indictment hearing, which was canceled on Wednesday morning. She declined to elaborate.
“Since there is such public interest in this case, and only a few details have been released about the accusations, we believe it would be best for the State to present its evidence in a hearing public where the defense could reveal the weaknesses of State’s case in court,” she wrote in an email.
Holston did not immediately respond to a question Wednesday afternoon about the additional charges brought against her client. A Clark County District Court arraignment will take place on March 1.
Chasing Horse declined multiple requests for an interview by the AP from the Las Vegas jail, where he is being held under a $300,000.00 bond.
Born in South Dakota on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Chasing horse is best known for his role in Kevin Costner’s 1990 Oscar-winning movie, “Dance With Wolves.” He was arrested near the North Las Vegas house he shared with five of his wives.
According to an arrest report, authorities searched the home, and found firearms and psilocybin mushroom, 41 pounds marijuana, and two cellphones with videos and photos of girls underage being sexually assaulted.
The video of the assaults led U.S. District Court to file federal charges for child pornography in Nevada.
The arrest of Chasing Horse in Nevada was the culmination a months-long investigation by Las Vegas Police. According to court documents police discovered a pattern of sexual abuse, and alleged crimes, dating back to 2000s, across multiple states including Montana and South Dakota. They also found a pattern in Canada, where he was charged with a rape from 2018.
According to a warrant obtained the AP, prosecutors from the Fort Peck Tribes of Montana charged Chasing Horse earlier this month with one count aggravated sexual abuse in connection with a rape in 2005.
Ken Trottier is a tribal court criminal investigative officer. He said that two teenage girls had accused Chasing Horse at the time of rape. Trottier said the investigation was closed because the girls’ claims could not be corroborated.
Trottier explained that this changed after Chasing horse was arrested in Nevada. With more evidence, Fort Peck could pursue a criminal charge.
Trottier says it’s unlikely that Chasing horse will ever appear before a tribal court. He was expelled from the reservation by tribal leaders nearly a decade back, amid allegations of human smuggling.
Trottier told AP that “we don’t expect him to ever return here.” “If he steps foot on our reservations, he will face a hunt.”
Trottier said that he hoped federal prosecutors would step in and allow for harsher penalties if Chasing horse is charged and convicted of a crime on the reservation. Federal authorities have concurrent jurisdiction if the victim and suspect both are Native Americans.
Trottier said that he would probably never be able to handcuff him, but at least they could help with the Las Vegas case as well as other investigations.
