“Dances with Wolves” actor arrested in Nevada in sexual assault case

NORTH LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a former “Dances with Wolves” actor turned alleged cult leader accused of sexually abusing young Native American girls over two decades. Associated Press.

Nathan Lee was arrested in the afternoon near the North Las Vegas home he is said to share with his five wives after following his horse, which goes by Nathan Chasing. SWAT officers were seen in front of the two-story house during a search of the property in the evening.

Best known for his role as a young member of the Sioux tribe in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film Smiles Many, Chasing Horse has a reputation among tribes across the United States and Canada as a so-called medicine man who performs healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings. found and, police allege, used his position to abuse young Native American girls.

His arrest is the culmination of a month-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 the leader of a cult called The Circle.

According to the document, Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims and accused Chasing Horse of sexual harassment in various states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where he lived for nearly a decade until the early 2000s. revealed.

Court records for Chasing Horse did not have an attorney available to comment on his behalf as of Tuesday evening.

Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sikangue Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota Nation.

In 2018, he was removed from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, on charges of human trafficking, according to the warrant.

“Nathan Chasing Horse used their spiritual traditions and belief system on many occasions as a tool to sexually assault young girls,” it said, adding that his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings and called him the “Medicine Man.” or called “Holy”. A person.”

Although the warrant details crimes reported elsewhere, the arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Clark County, Nevada. These include sex trafficking, sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16, and child abuse.

Some of the alleged victims were 13 years old, according to the warrant. It is said that one of Chasing’s wives gave him a horse as a “gift” at the age of 15, and the other became his wife after the age of 16.

Chasing Horse is also accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.