Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
'Dances With Wolves' Actor Arrested in Nevada Sex Abuse Case
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
February 1, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a former “Dances With Wolves” actor turned alleged cult leader accused of sexually assaulting young Indigenous girls during a period spanning two decades, according to police records obtained by The Associated Press.

Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, who goes by Nathan Chasing Horse, was taken into custody in the afternoon near the North Las Vegas home he is said to share with his five wives. SWAT officers were seen outside the two-story home in the evening as detectives searched the property.

Known for his role as the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in the Oscar-winning Kevin Costner film, Chasing Horse gained a reputation among tribes across the United States and in Canada as a so-called medicine man who performed healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings and, police allege, used his position to abuse young Native American girls.

His arrest is the culmination of a monthslong investigation that began after police received a tip in October 2022. According to a 50-page search warrant obtained by AP, Chasing Horse is believed to be the leader of a cult known as The Circle.

And it comes as state attorneys general and lawmakers around the U.S. are looking into creating specialized units to handle cases involving Native women.

In South Dakota, the attorney general’s office has put a new focus on crimes against Native American people, including human trafficking and murders.

Allegations Made in Several States

According to the document, Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims and uncovered sexual allegations against Chasing Horse dating to the early 2000s in multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where he has lived for about a decade.

There was no lawyer listed in court records for Chasing Horse who could comment on his behalf as of Tuesday evening.

Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

According to the warrant, he was banished in 2015 from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, amid allegations of human trafficking.

“Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions,” it reads, adding that his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings and referred to him as “Medicine Man” or “Holy Person.”

Although the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, the arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada’s Clark County. They include sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse.

Some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the warrant. One of Chasing Horse’s wives was allegedly offered to him as a “gift” when she was 15, while another became a wife after turning 16.

Chasing Horse also is accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

DON'T MISS

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

DON'T MISS

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

DON'T MISS

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

DON'T MISS

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

DON'T MISS

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

DON'T MISS

Stay Cool, Fresno!

UP NEXT

North Korean Charged in Cyberattacks on US Hospitals, NASA and Military Bases

UP NEXT

Video Game Performers Will Go on Strike Over Artificial Intelligence Concerns

UP NEXT

Watch: Breaking Down Netanyahu’s Speech in Congress

UP NEXT

Uvalde, Texas, School Officer Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Failing to Protect Kids During Attack

UP NEXT

Arson Suspect Named as Park Fire Near Chico Triples in Size

UP NEXT

Mexican Drug Kingpin Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada in US Custody

UP NEXT

Harris Tells Netanyahu ‘It Is Time’ to Get Hostage Deal Done and End Gaza War

UP NEXT

Bill Burr Headlines a Fresno Weekend of Comedy and Tribute Bands

UP NEXT

Biden and Netanyahu Meet With a Show of Amiable Relations Despite Tensions

UP NEXT

Sheriff’s Detectives Investigate Deadly Shooting in Riverdale

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

8 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

9 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

9 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

10 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

10 hours ago

Companies Cut Prices to Boost Sales, Consumers Respond

10 hours ago

Stay Cool, Fresno!

11 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues NBA for Not Accepting Its Matching Offer

11 hours ago

Tanker Plane Crash Kills Firefighting Pilot in Oregon as Western Wildfires Spread

11 hours ago

Will Bonta Election Lawsuit Reverse the Will of Fresno County Voters?

11 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

The arch of colorful balloons over the doorway of a storefront on Shaw Avenue in Clovis was a clue that something exciting was happening on ...

7 hours ago

7 hours ago

Crescent View West High Celebrates New Clovis Home

8 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Sexually Assaulting Children and Dog

8 hours ago

Bulldogs’ Two-Position Standout Tommy Hopfe Signs With Rockies

8 hours ago

Artists, Vendors Plan to Defy City’s ArtHop Crackdown

9 hours ago

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener: I Have a ‘Rare Form of Skin Cancer’

9 hours ago

The Many Names of GOP Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance

10 hours ago

‘Fed Up’ Dyer, Councilmembers Unveil Plan to Crack Down on Street Campers

10 hours ago

House Republicans Slam Trump’s ‘Worst Choice’ for VP Pick JD Vance

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend