Las Vegas police have detained Dances With Wolves actor Nathan Chasing Horse for allegedly sexually abusing young indigenous females, police records show.
Nathan Chasing Horse, also known as Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, is said to be the head of a cult called “The Circle.”
Officials have yet to assign a lawyer who could comment on Chasing Horse’s behalf as of writing.
Crime scene tape and red balloons outside the Route 91 festival venue on October 3, 2017 after a gunman killed more than 59 people and wounded more than 527 others when he opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2017. – America mourned the victims of the worst gun massacre in recent US history Tuesday as investigators probed the motive behind a so far apparently senseless attack on Las Vegas concert-goers. (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Dances With Wolves: Nathan Chasing Horse Arrested For Alleged Sexual Abuse
The Associated Press reported that a police investigation that lasted months and started when they received a tip-off in October was finally concluded on Tuesday with a raid on Nathan Chasing Horse’s house, which he is alleged to share with five wives.
Indigenous communities in the US and Canada had come to know Chasing Horse as a medicine man who led spiritual meetings and performed healing rites.
Police records obtained by AP showed that the sex abuse allegedly occurred in several states, including Montana, South Dakota, and Nevada, where Nathan Chasing Horse has lived for approximately ten years.
He is accused of using his position as a healer to conduct the abuse.
AP added that Chasing Horse, the actor in the 1990 movie Smiles a Lot, had followers who called him “Medicine Man” or “Holy Person.”
The same report also pointed out that Chasing Horse allegedly “used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a vehicle to abusing young girls on several occasions sexually.”
Police have reportedly accused him of filming the crimes and hawking his victims to other males.
8NewsNow, citing several reports, mentioned that police were worried that Mr. Chasing Horse had anticipated the search and had given his wife instructions on how to take suicide pills or be ready for a gunfight.
ICT News, a non-profit that covers indigenous communities, said that elders were aware that Mr. Chasing Horse was under criminal investigation for the alleged sexual assault of a young girl two years prior.
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The Circle Cult: How Chasing Horse Got Into This Situation
The Independent said Chasing Horse was already quite well-known among indigenous peoples after his outstanding performance as Smiles a Lot in the 1990 western Dances with Wolves.
Chasing Horse won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Kevin Costner, at 14 years old.
He started participating in traditional Lakota Sun dance rites, designed to re-establish a connection with the Earth and the spirits, in the late 1990s, traveling across the US and Canada.
However, authorities claimed Chasing Horse used the rites as a cover to target women of all ages, primarily young girls.
Chasing Horse was permanently exiled from the Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board’s land in 2015 following years of complaints about his behavior.
Police claim he repeatedly sexually abused young girls using spiritual practices and worldviews as a tool.
Concerns about Mr. Chasing Horse’s suspected illegal activity at the Fort Peck Reservation peaked in July 2015.
The location, which is home to around 10,000 people and is nearly 1.5 times the size of Delaware, was to host a Sun Dance event by the former child star the next month.
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