'Dances With Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse charged with federal crimes in sex abuse probe
Chasing Horse faces two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography after allegedly filming sexual assaults
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former "Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse was charged with federal crimes in a Nevada court on Wednesday, adding to the growing list of criminal cases against the alleged cult leader since his arrest near his Las Vegas residence last week.
Chasing Horse, 46, is now facing two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in Nevada U.S. District Court obtained by the Associated Press.
Authorities said the former actor filmed sexual assaults of children.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The federal charges came hours after a state judge granted $300,000 bail to Chasing Horse on Wednesday. He had been in Las Vegas police custody since his Jan. 31 arrest.
Nathan Chasing Horse seated in a courtroom, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)
Earlier on Wednesday, around two dozen of his relatives and friends piled into the North Las Vegas courtroom to show their support, the AP reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Waving signs that translated to "Justice for Chasing Horse," they cheered and celebrated the judge's decision to grant him bail. Though if he posts bail, he is likely to be taken into federal custody.
In state court, Chasing Horse is charged with eight felonies, including sexual assault, sex trafficking and child abuse. He has not yet entered a plea, and it's unknown if he will.
Authorities have said his crimes date back to the early 2000s and stretch across the country and into Canada.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This week, Canadian police in British Columbia confirmed they will be pursuing a case against him for an alleged sexual assault in the British Columbia village of Keremeos near the Washington state border in 2018.
North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Craig Newman presides during a bail hearing of former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, also known as Nathan Chasing Horse, at North Las Vegas Justice Court, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
At his bail hearing Wednesday morning, the AP reported that Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles told the judge Chasing Horse should remain in custody because there is "evidence" he is "grooming" girls to replace his older wives.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former actor, who is known for his portrayal of Smiles A Lot in Kevin Costner's 1990 Oscar-winning film, was reportedly living with five wives when he was arrested.
Chasing Horse has been described in court documents as the leader of a cult known as The Circle, which had about 300 members at its peak, according to Rowles. His followers believed he was a "medicine man" who could communicate with higher beings.
Police said he used his position to physically and sexually assault women and girls, and to take underage wives.
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Former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, right, also known as Nathan Chasing Horse, appears in North Las Vegas Justice Court Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye /Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Investigators and victims were expected to speak in court on Wednesday, but delays in the proceedings resulted in the judge only hearing from Rowles and Chasing Horse's public defender, Kristy Holston.
Rowles requested $2 million bail while Holston asked for bail to be set at $50,000.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After the hearing, Holston told the AP she was happy with the judge's decision and said she is looking forward to his next court date on Feb. 22 in North Las Vegas. At that hearing, a judge is expected to hear evidence in the case and decide whether Chasing Horse will stand trial.
"We’re really looking forward to the preliminary hearing in this case," she said, "because it’s another public hearing where we will have an opportunity to point out the weaknesses in the state’s case."
A woman supporter of Nathan Chasing Horse sits in court, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)
Rulon Pete, a representative of the victims and the executive director of the Las Vegas Indian Center, had the opposite reaction and said the judge's decision was "like a slap in the face."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Some of the victims were in the courtroom on Wednesday seated with their supporters, which included Chasing Horse's estranged daughter, Quannah. Some were holding signs reading "NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS" and "WOMEN AREN'T PRISONERS."
Police have said they have identified at least six victims, including one who was 13 when she said she was abused, and another who said she was offered to Chasing Horse as a "gift" when she was 15.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It wasn't immediately clear how, if at all, the federal charges will affect Chasing Horse's case in Clark County.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. In 2015, he was banished from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, following allegations of human trafficking.