(Las Vegas) A Nevada judge upheld charges against a former Dances With Wolves actor for 18 felonies related to sexual abuse but dismissed a charge of drug trafficking.
Posted on April 7th
Rio Yamat Associated Press
In an order issued late Friday afternoon, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny ruled that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence. However, she believes there is no solid evidence linking Nathan Chasing Horse to investigators of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) found during a search of his home.
Chasing Horse, 46, had asked the court to dismiss the entire charge because the plaintiffs wanted to have sex with him. One of the girls was under 16 — the legal age in Nevada — when she said Chasing Horse began abusing her.
Chasing Horse was charged in February with sexually assaulting a minor, kidnapping, child molestation, obscenity and drug trafficking. He has been held in jail on $300,000 bail since Jan. 31, when he was arrested near the home he shared with his five wives in north Las Vegas.
His arrest led to further criminal charges in at least three other jurisdictions, including Canada and Nevada, as well as the Fort Peck Native Reservation in Montana.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He is best known for his role as a young Sioux warrior in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film Smiles A Lot.
Police and prosecutors say that in the decades since his appearance in the Oscar-winning film, Chasing Horse has portrayed himself as a healer with healing powers and the ability to communicate with higher beings.
Authorities accuse him of using his position to lead a cult called The Circle and gain access to vulnerable girls and women. He would also have had underage wives.
The alleged crimes date back to the early 2000s and took place in state courts in several US states, including Nevada, Montana and South Dakota, according to his indictment.
One of the victims was 14, authorities say, when Chasing Horse told her her ancestral spirits commanded him to have sex with her.
A trial is scheduled to begin on May 1st. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty and has asserted his right to a trial within 60 days of the indictment.
He is due to be heard in court next week on another motion asking the judge to grant him separate trials. Chasing Horse and its attorneys argued in the motion that the plaintiffs’ allegations were unrelated.