'Dances with Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse charged in Nevada sex abuse case

Nathan Chasing Horse, who played a pivotal role inthe 1990 American epic western film'Dances With Wolves'directedand produced by Kevin Costner,has been charged in Nevada for sexual assault crimes that prosecutors suggest occurred in Las Vegas starting in 2012.

The 46-year-old has been accused of sexually abusing Indigenous girls and women for nearly two decades in multiple states. He was formally charged on Monday morning during a brief appearance in a Las Vegas courtroom.

According to a criminal complaint, Chasing Horse is charged with eight felonies, including sexual assault against a child younger than 16,sex trafficking, and child abuse. Prosecutors also filed an additional felony charge against the actor on Monday in connection with what detectives said were videos saved on a phone showing sexual abuse against a minor.

After SWAT officers took him under custody last week, detectives searched his home and found guns. The officers also found18.5 kilograms of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms in his apartment, according to the arrest report.

The criminal complaint, which was filed on Monday, also charges Chasing Horse with two misdemeanours in connection with a dead bald eagle and parts of a dead hawk discovered during the search of his property.

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.

A judge postponed hearing arguments about his custody status until Wednesday to give Chasing Horse’s new California-based attorney, Alexandra Kazaria, additional time to obtain permission from the State Bar of Nevada to represent him in the case.

Nevada law requires prosecutors to present convincing evidence that a defendant should remain in custody. Clark County Deputy District Attorney Jessica Walsh said last week that she expected testimony from Las Vegas police detectives, FBI special agents and victims.

In the meantime, Chasing Horse is currently held without bail at a jail in downtown Las Vegas. He has been in custody since his January 31 arrest near the North Las Vegas home he shares with his five wives.

Seated in front of Chasing Horse's family on Monday were some of the victims and their supporters, who held signs inside the courtroom reading, "NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS" and "WOMEN AREN’T PRISONERS."

The actor refused to enter a plea on Monday after he was formally charged. In Nevada, defendants do not usually enter a plea until their criminal case is bound over to a state district court, either after a grand jury indictment or after a judge decides prosecutors have enough evidence for the defendant to stand trial.

Chasing Horse shot to fame for playing the role of Sioux tribe member - Smiles a Lot - in Kevin Costner’s 1990 Oscar-winning film. Since then, he has built a reputation among tribes across the United States and in Canada as the "medicine man".

According to the police, Chasing Horse abused his position and took several underage wives over two decades in multiple states, including South Dakota, Montana and Nevada. He also was banished from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, in 2015 following similar allegations.

In a 50-page search warrant, investigators described the actor as the leader of a cult known as 'The Circle', whose followers believed he could communicate with higher powers.

At least six victims of the actor's heinous crimes have been identified, including one who was 13 when she said she was abused by Chasing Horse, and another who said she was offered to him as a "gift" when she was just 15.

(With inputs from agencies)

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