NORTH LAS VEGAS (AP) – Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a former “Dances With Wolves” actor turned religious leader accused of sexually abusing teenage girls over a two-decade period, according to police records. The Associated Press.
Nathan Chasing Horse’s Nathan Lee, who goes by Nathan Chasing Horse, was arrested during the day near the North Las Vegas home he reportedly shares with his five wives. SWAT officers were seen outside the two-story building late in the evening as detectives searched the area.
Best known for his role as a young member of the Sioux tribe Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film, Chasing Horse became well known among tribes in the United States and Canada as a so-called shaman who performs healing rituals and spiritual meetings. and, police say, used his position to abuse young African American girls.
His arrest is the culmination of a months-long investigation that began after police received a tip in October 2022. According to a 50-page search warrant obtained by the AP, Chasing Horse is believed to be the leader of a cult known as The Circle.
And it comes as attorneys general and lawmakers in the US look to create special teams to deal with cases involving indigenous women.
In South Dakota, the attorney general’s office has put a new focus on crimes against Americans, including murder and manslaughter.
According to the affidavit, Las Vegas police have identified at least six victims of sexual abuse and uncovered sexual assault cases involving Chasing Horse dating back to the early 2000s in several states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where they have been for nearly a decade.
There was no attorney listed in the Chasing Horse courts to respond on his behalf as of Tuesday evening.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota tribe.
According to the affidavit, he was deported in 2015 from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, due to human trafficking charges.
“Nathan Chasing Horse used their spiritual traditions and beliefs as a tool to rape young girls many times,” it also reads that his followers believe he can communicate with higher people and called him “Medicine Man” or “Holy.” Man.”
While the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, the arrests stem from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada’s Clark County. It includes sex trafficking, rape of a child under the age of 16 and child abuse.
Some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the affidavit. One of Chasing Horse’s wives is said to have been given to him as a “gift” at the age of 15, while another became a wife at the age of 16.
Chasing Horse is also accused of making pornographic videos and arranging sex with the victims for other men who paid him.
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