Police have arrested “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse on child sex trafficking and sexual assault charges, according to reports.
Las Vegas police confirmed they arrested the former actor-turned-alleged cult leader on Tuesday.
Chasing Horse is accused of sexually assaulting and trafficking young Indigenous girls during a period spanning two decades.
He was known for his role as the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in the Oscar-winning Kevin Costner movie.
Chasing Horse was a medicine man who performed healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings among tribes across the United States and in Canada.
Police say he used this position to abuse young Native American girls.
The warrant claims he was banished in 2015 from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana over allegations of human trafficking.
We’re outside his North Las Vegas home where police are investigating.
We are hearing that Nathan Chasing Horse may have as many as 6 wives….
Allegations of unsecured firearms with children present…as well as “suicide pills” for the women here in case police ever showed up. pic.twitter.com/rYg8Rv3eY0
— Vanessa_Murphy (@Vanessa_Murphy) February 1, 2023
According to the AP, the warrant said:
“Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions,” it reads, adding that his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings and referred to him as “Medicine Man” or “Holy Person.”
Although the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, the arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada’s Clark County. They include sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse.
Some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the warrant. One of Chasing Horse’s wives was allegedly offered to him as a “gift” when she was 15, while another became a wife after turning 16.
According to Deadline:
“Chasing Horse was reportedly taken into custody after SWAT officers raided the home he shares with his five wives following a monthslong investigation.
“Authorities had reportedly received a tip in October 2022 regarding Chasing Horse, who is believed to be a leader of a cult called The Circle.”
Photos show the SWAT team outside the home of Nathan Chasing Horse earlier today.
We’ve learned that police believe there could be more victims as well as co-conspirators.
This is a developing story.
Now after 10pm, police are still at the house.
We’ll have a report at 11p pic.twitter.com/4SPGytBP7f
— Vanessa_Murphy (@Vanessa_Murphy) February 1, 2023
According to The New York Post, he has been accused of prostituting young Indigenous girls by offering them for sex with other men who allegedly paid him.
The youngest of his alleged victims was just 13 years old.
The warrant also states that Chasing Horse allegedly recorded his sexual assaults with his victims.
