'Dances with Wolves' actor's Nevada lawsuit filed in newly revived sexual abuse case

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse will go on trial in Las Vegas early next year on charges that he sexually assaulted local women and girls. comprehensive criminal case after more than a year of court proceedings while he appealed.

His trial in Clark County District Court is scheduled to begin Jan. 13, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday on KLAS-TV in Las Vegas to 21 counts, including sexual assault, kidnapping and production and possession of child sexual abuse videos. reported.

Prosecutors can now proceed with their case because Chasing Horse was charged again last month Following the Nevada Supreme Court decision original indictment dismissed. The high court’s decision left open the possibility of reintroducing the charges, and prosecutors quickly brought the case before another grand jury.

In its September ruling, the high court said prosecutors abused the grand jury process by presenting a grooming description as evidence of Chasing Horse’s alleged crimes without any expert testimony. However, the judges also made clear in their decision that it had no bearing on Chasing Horse’s guilt or innocence, and said that the allegations against him were serious.

Chasing Horse, best known for his portrayal of the character Smiles a Lot in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves,” was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home of the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

After starring in the Oscar-winning film, Chasing Horse began posing as a Lakota healer while traveling across North America to perform healing ceremonies, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said he used his authority to gain access to vulnerable women and girls for decades until his arrest near Las Vegas in January. He’s been in jail ever since.

Chasing Horse’s arrest reverberated throughout Indian Country as law enforcement in the United States and Canada was quickly followed by more criminal charges. Authorities in Montana say his arrest helped confirms long-standing claims against him on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Tribal leaders removed Chasing Horse from the reservation in 2015 due to allegations of human trafficking.

His latest indictment in Las Vegas includes new allegations that Chasing Horse filmed himself having sex with one of his accusers when she was under 14 years old. Prosecutors said the footage, shot in 2010 or 2011, was found on cellphones in a locked safe inside the hotel. Chasing Horse is said to have shared his North Las Vegas home with five wives, including the girl in the video.

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