Las Vegas Police Department work near the home of former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse as he walks past Nathan Chasing Horse Tuesday, January 31, 2023, in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Authorities searched the former actor’s home Tuesday in connection with a sexual assault investigation. (AP Photo/John Locher)
AP
LAS VEGAS
A former Dances With Wolves actor accused of leading a cult could face multiple crimes and life in prison after police said he sexually assaulted young indigenous girls and himself several taken by women, over a period of two decades, court records show.
As of Wednesday, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, calling himself Nathan Chasing Horse, is charged with at least two counts of sex trafficking and one count each of sexually assaulting a child under 16, child abuse or neglect, and sexual assault. according to the records. Authorities have not said when he will be formally charged.
If he is convicted of two counts of sex trafficking, he could face 20 years in prison, and he could face life behind bars for a conviction on either sexual assault charge.
Las Vegas police took Chasing Horse into custody Tuesday afternoon as he left the north Las Vegas home he shares with his five wives, the warrant said. He was checked into the Clark County Jail before midnight, where he was being held without bail on Wednesday morning on sexual assault charges.
Three women were detained outside the Chasing Horse home Tuesday night as detectives searched the property, but police have not released details of possible charges against them or their relationship with Chasing Horse.
Known for his role as a young member of the Sioux tribe Smiles a Lot in the Oscar-winning film directed by Kevin Costner, Chasing Horse gained a solid reputation among tribes across the United States and Canada as a so-called medicine man, performing healing ceremonies and police claim, used his position to abuse young Native American girls.
His arrest was the culmination of a months-long investigation that began after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a tip in October 2022.
And it comes as attorneys general and legislators across the US consider establishing specialized units to handle cases involving Native American women.
In South Dakota, where police said some of Chasing Horse’s alleged crimes were committed, the attorney general’s office has placed a new focus on crimes against Native Americans, including human trafficking and murders.
According to a search warrant obtained by AP, Chasing Horse is believed to be the leader of a cult called The Circle.
Las Vegas police noted in the document that they identified at least six alleged victims and uncovered sexual allegations against Chasing Horse dating back to the early 2000s in several states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where he has lived for about a decade .
He was banned from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, in 2015, according to the warrant, on charges of human trafficking.
Court filings for Chasing Horse did not list an attorney who could speak for him Wednesday morning. He is scheduled to appear in court in North Las Vegas on Thursday.
Chasing Horse, 46, was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota Nation.
“Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions,” detectives wrote in the warrant, adding that his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings and referred to him as a “medicine man.” . or “Holy Person”.
According to the arrest warrant, some of the alleged victims were only 13 years old. One of Chasing Horse’s wives was reportedly offered to him as a “gift” when she was 15, while another became a wife after she was 16.
Chasing Horse is also accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who paid him.
Although the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, Tuesday’s arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Clark County, Nevada.
This story was originally published February 2, 2023 2:50 am.