After Nathan Chasing Horse was recently charged with sexual assault in Nevada, a grand jury indicted the "Dances with Wolves" actor Wednesday on 19 counts -- including trafficking and child abuse to include kidnapping, lewdness and drug trafficking.
The disgraced 46-year-old actor has allegedly been trafficking Indigenous women and girls for decades, as he faces charges in Nevada, Canada and now in Montana, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, with the newest case.
Chasing Horse facing charges in four jurisdictions comes after his arrest in Nevada on Jan. 31 near his North Las Vegas home he shared with his five wives.
According to court documents, police uncovered a pattern of sexual abuse and alleged crimes dating back to the 2000s across multiple states, including Montana and South Dakota, as well as Canada, where he has been charged with a 2018 rape in British Columbia.
Chasing Horse’s public defender, Kristy Holston, told The Associated Press that she was looking forward to revealing holes in the state’s case during a preliminary hearing that was canceled Wednesday morning ahead of the indictment. She declined to elaborate.
"Since the public is so interested in this case and because only select details of the accusations have been released, we think it would be most appropriate for the State to present their evidence in a public hearing where the defense can reveal the weaknesses of the State’s case on the record in court," she said in an email.
A tribal court criminal investigator, Ken Trottier, stated Wednesday that two teenage girls at the time accused Chasing Horse of rape. After the investigation was closed, the case opened again after he was arrested in Nevada with more evidence that allowed Fort Peck to pursue a criminal case.
Chasing Horse may not appear in tribal court since tribal leaders banned him from the reservation nearly a decade ago due to human trafficking allegations.
"We don’t ever expect him to return here," Trottier told the AP. "If he ever steps foot on our reservation, he will be hunted."
Trottier noted that he hopes federal prosecutors in Montana will step in, allowing for stiffer penalties if Chasing Horse is charged and convicted of any crime on the reservation.
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Known for his role as young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning film, Chasing Horse built a reputation for himself among tribes across the United States and in Canada as a "medicine man" who performed healing ceremonies. He was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.
In a 50-page search warrant obtained by The Associated Press, police described Chasing Horse as the leader of a cult known as The Circle, whose followers believed he could communicate with higher powers.
Chasing Horse is being held on a $300,000 bond at the Las Vegas jail. An arraignment is scheduled for March 1 in Clark County District Court.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
