Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse faces new sex crime charges in Alberta

Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse is facing additional sex crime charges in Alberta, Canada. These charges come as part of a broader criminal case against him, where he remains incarcerated in Las Vegas awaiting trial for a wide-ranging sexual abuse case that has shocked the Indigenous community and led to collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies in two countries. During a virtual news conference, Sergeant Nancy Farmer of the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service acknowledged that the charges in Alberta have mostly symbolic significance. Chasing Horse, who already faces the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence in Nevada if convicted, as well as prosecution in five jurisdictions, may not return to Canada to address these charges.

Nonetheless, Farmer emphasised the importance of having these warrants in the system to ensure that the victims know their voices have been heard, underscoring the continued need for support.

Chasing Horse's silence and legal representation

Chasing Horse has declined to provide any statements while being held in the county jail. His public defender in Las Vegas, Kristy Holston, has also refrained from commenting on the new charges. It remains unclear whether Chasing Horse has legal representation in Canada to address the charges on his behalf.

The charges in Alberta

According to Sergeant Farmer, the 47-year-old actor faces nine charges in Alberta, including three counts of sexual exploitation and four counts of sexual assault. The alleged crimes occurred in their jurisdiction as far back as 2005.

Chasing Horse's background and allegations

Nathan Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, belonging to the Sicangu Sioux, a tribe of the Lakota nation. His portrayal of Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's acclaimed filmDances With Wolves brought him recognition among tribes in the United States and Canada. However, police and prosecutors in Las Vegas have accused him of using his self-proclaimed position as a medicine man capable of communicating with higher beings to establish a cult, exploit vulnerable Indigenous women and girls, and take underage wives since the early 2000s.

Multiple jurisdictions and pending cases

In addition to the charges in Las Vegas, where Chasing Horse faces 18 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, and kidnapping, he is also confronted with criminal prosecution in the British Columbia village of Keremeos, the U.S. District Court in Nevada, and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana. The court proceedings for the Las Vegas case have been indefinitely suspended as Chasing Horse awaits a decision on his appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, seeking to have his indictment dismissed.

Chasing Horse's defence and accusers' claims

Chasing Horse and his legal representatives have asserted in court filings that his accusers willingly engaged in sexual encounters with him. However, one of the alleged victims claims that Chasing Horse began abusing her when she was below the age of consent in Nevada, which is 16 years old.

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