Dances With Wolves actor charged in British Columbia and Nevada for alleged sex crimes

WARNING: This article contains abuse details.

An old dance with wolves The actor accused of sexually abusing Native girls and women over two decades in multiple states has been charged in Nevada for crimes that prosecutors say occurred in the Las Vegas area starting in 2012.

Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, was formally charged Monday morning in a brief appearance in a north Las Vegas courtroom filled with his friends and relatives who had hoped to see him released on bail. But a judge postponed hearing arguments over his custody status until Wednesday to allow Chasing Horse to find a new lawyer.

Nevada law requires prosecutors to present compelling evidence that a defendant should remain in custody. Clark County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Walsh said last week she was awaiting testimony from Las Vegas police detectives, FBI special agents and victims.

In the meantime, Chasing Horse is being held without bail in a downtown Las Vegas jail. He has been in custody since his January 31 arrest near the North Las Vegas home he shares with his five wives.

Chasing Horse is charged with eight crimes, including sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child under 16 and child abuse, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors also filed an additional felony charge Monday in connection with what detectives said were phone recorded videos showing the sexual assault of a minor.

British Columbia Mounties say Chasing Horse has also been charged with a historic sex crime in that province.

RCMP spokesman Kris Clark said he was charged with one count of sexual assault after the Keremeos Detachment, about 100 kilometers south of Kelowna, received a report.

Clark said an unapproved warrant was issued for the arrest of Nathan Chasing Horse. An unendorsed warrant means that once arrested, he will be detained until he appears in court.

Victims suffering from anxiety

Sitting across from the Chasing Horse family on Monday, some of the victims and their supporters held signs inside the courtroom reading NoMore Stolen Sisters and Women ArentPrisoners.

Rulon Pete, executive director of the Las Vegas Indian Center, said after the hearing that the victims were ready “to help ensure justice is served.”

“Unfortunately, they’re going through a lot of anxiety,” he told The Associated Press after speaking with victims and prosecutors. “When it was pushed back, it was like adding more weight to the situation.”

Chasing Horse did not plead on Monday after being formally charged. In Nevada, defendants do not plead until their criminal case is returned to a state district court, either after a grand jury indictment or after a judge decides that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to bring the accused to trial.

Chasing Horse starred as Sioux tribesman Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning 1990 film.

Since then, he has earned a reputation among the tribes of the United States and Canada as a “healer”. Chasing Horse, police said, abused that position and took underage wives for two decades in several states, including South Dakota, Montana and Nevada, where he has lived for about a decade. He was also banned from the Fort Peck reservation in Poplar, Montana, in 2015 following similar allegations.

Detectives described Chasing Horse in a 50-page search warrant as the leader of a cult known as The Circle, which followers believed could communicate with higher powers.

Pete of the Las Vegas Indian Center described the healer’s role in their culture as a highly respected leadership position. “They are like priests if you will.”

“You follow what they teach,” he said, adding that the victims have shown great courage in speaking out despite the intimidation and threats Pete said he has faced since the arrest. of Chasing Horse.

6 victims identified

An arrest report for Chasing Horse shows at least six victims have been identified, including one who was 13 when she said she was abused, and another who said she was given to her as a ‘gift ” at the age of 15.

After SWAT officers arrested him last week, detectives searched the family’s home and found firearms, 41 pounds (18.5 kilograms) of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms, the report said. ‘arrest.

The criminal complaint filed Monday also charges Chasing Horse with two misdemeanors in connection with a dead bald eagle and parts of a dead hawk discovered during a search of its property.

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.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Canadian Association for the Elimination of Violence Database. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of those around you, please call 911.