Dances with Wolves actor to face judge over alleged sexual abuse - The Guardian US

A erstwhile Dances with Wolves histrion who faces astatine slightest 5 felony charges for allegedly sexually abusing Indigenous girls was scheduled to look a justice connected Thursday.

Possible charges against Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, see enactment trafficking and intersexual assault, according to tribunal records. Clark region prosecutors person not said erstwhile they volition formally complaint him oregon if much charges volition beryllium filed.

Las Vegas constabulary arrested Chasing Horse this week, pursuing an probe into alleged maltreatment authorities said spanned 2 decades.

He remained held astatine a Clark region jailhouse without bail connected Wednesday evening. A justice connected Thursday is expected to code his custody presumption and could acceptable bail.

Known for his relation arsenic young Sioux people subordinate Smiles a Lot successful the Oscar-winning Kevin Costner film, Chasing Horse gained a estimation among tribes crossed the US and successful Canada for performing healing ceremonies.

He is believed to beryllium the person of a cult known arsenic the Circle, with a beardown pursuing of radical who believed helium could pass with higher powers, according to an apprehension warrant.

Police said helium abused his position, physically and sexually assaulting girls and women, taking underage wives and starring the cult. He was arrested extracurricular the location helium shares with his 5 wives adjacent Las Vegas.

Chasing Horse was calved connected the Rosebud Reservation successful South Dakota, location to the Sicangu Sioux, 1 of the 7 tribes of the Lakota nation.

A 50-page hunt warrant claimed Chasing Horse trained his wives to usage firearms, instructing them to “shoot it out” with constabulary if they tried to “break their household apart”. If that failed, the wives were to instrumentality “suicide pills”.

He was taken into custody arsenic helium near his location successful North Las Vegas. Swat officers were seen extracurricular the two-story location arsenic detectives searched it.

Police recovered found firearms, 41lb of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms and a representation paper with aggregate videos of intersexual assaults, according to an apprehension study released connected Wednesday. Additional charges could beryllium filed successful transportation with the videos of the underage girls, the study said.

There was nary lawyer listed successful tribunal records who could remark connected his behalf. Las Vegas constabulary said Chasing Horse was “unable” to springiness a jailhouse interview.

Police said successful the hunt warrant investigators identified astatine slightest six intersexual battle victims, including 1 who was 13 erstwhile she claims to person been abused. Police besides traced intersexual allegations against Chasing Horse to the aboriginal 2000s successful Canada and successful states including South Dakota, Montana and Nevada, wherever helium has lived for astir a decade.

One of Chasing Horse’s wives was offered to him arsenic a “gift” erstwhile she was 15, according to police, portion different became a woman aft turning 16. He is accused of signaling intersexual assaults and arranging enactment betwixt victims and men who paid him.

His apprehension comes astir a decennary aft helium was banished from the Fort Peck Reservation successful Poplar, Montana, amid allegations of quality trafficking.

In 2015, Fort Peck tribal leaders voted 7-0 to prohibition Chasing Horse from mounting ft again connected the reservation, citing the alleged trafficking and accusations of cause dealing, spiritual maltreatment and intimidation of tribal members, Indian Country Today reported.

Angeline Cheek, an activistic and assemblage organizer who has lived connected the Fort Peck Reservation astir of her life, said she intelligibly remembers tensions wrong the assembly chambers erstwhile Chasing Horse was banished.

“Some of Nathan’s supporters told the members that thing atrocious was going to hap to them,” Cheek said. “They made threats to our elders sitting successful the assembly chambers.”

Cheek said she remembered Chasing Horse visiting the preservation frequently, particularly during her precocious schoolhouse years successful the aboriginal 2000s erstwhile she would spot him talking with her classmates.

Cheek, present 34, said she hopes Chasing Horse’s apprehension volition animate much Indigenous girls and women to study crimes and propulsion lawmakers and elected officials to prioritize addressing unit against Native people.

She besides hopes the taste value of medicine men doesn’t get mislaid successful the quality of the crimes.

“There are bully medicine men and medicine women among our radical who are not trying to commercialize the ineffable ways of our ancestors,” she said. “They’re expected to heal people, not harm.”