Dances With Wolves actor Chasing Horse faces 18 felony charges for sexual abuse-related crimes

A Nevada judge has dismissed a drug trafficking charge against Nathan Chasing Horse, a former actor in Dances With Wolves, but upheld an indictment on 18 felony crimes related to sexual abuse, reported the news agency Associated Press. Judge Carli Kierny found that the state prosecutors had presented enough evidence for a grand juror to conclude that the sexual assaults occurred but did not find any testimony connecting Chasing Horse to the psilocybin mushrooms found during the search of his home. Chasing Horse had requested the dismissal of the entire indictment, claiming that his accusers had consensual sex with him. He has been held on $300,000 bail since his arrest in January, which led to criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions.

Chasing Horse has been accused of using his position as a medicine man to lead a cult called The Circle and taking underage wives. His trial is set to begin on May 1, and he has pleaded not guilty. He and his attorneys have also requested separate trials, arguing that the allegations of his accusers are unrelated.

Chasing Horse, known for his portrayal of Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's award-winning 1990 film, Dances with Wolves, was born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

According to police and prosecutors, Chasing Horse had been presenting himself as a medicine man with healing abilities and the power to communicate with higher entities to indigenous communities across the country for several decades following his role in the Oscar-winning movie. He is accused of exploiting his position to establish a cult called The Circle, target vulnerable girls and women, and take underage wives. The crimes he is charged with allegedly occurred in the early 2000s and were committed across several states, including Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota, as stated in his indictment in state court.

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