Las Vegas police on Tuesday arrested and raided the home of a Dances With Wolves actor turned alleged cult leader accused of sexually abusing Indigenous girls over two decades, according to police records.
Nathan Lee Chasing Horse, who goes by Nathan Lee Chasing Horse, was held in the afternoon near the North Las Vegas home he reportedly shared with his five wives.
Officers were seen in Swat outside the two-storey house in the evening while detectives were searching the house.
Best known for his role as a smiling young Sioux tribe member in Kevin Costner’s 1990 Academy Award-winning film, Chasing Horse has gained popularity among tribes across the United States and Canada for performing healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings. Police allege he took advantage of his position to abuse Aboriginal girls.
His arrest is the culmination of a months-long investigation that began after police received a tip-off in October 2022. According to a 50-page search warrant, Chasing Horse is believed to be the leader of a cult known as the Circle.
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Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims and disclosed sexual allegations against Chasing Horse dating back to the early 2000s in states including MontanaSouth Dakota and Nevada, where he lived for about ten years.
There was no attorney listed in court records for Chasing Horse who could comment on his behalf as of Tuesday evening.
Chasing Horse 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.
According to the arrest warrant, he was banished in 2015 from the Fort Peck reservation in Poplar, Montana, amid allegations of human trafficking.
“Nathan Chasing Horse has used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually abuse young girls on numerous occasions,” the text reads, adding that his followers believe he can communicate with higher beings and refer to him as a “medicine man” or “holy person.”
Although the warrant details crimes reported elsewhere, the arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Clark County, nv. They include sex trafficking, sexual abuse of a child under 16, and child abuse.
Some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the note. It is alleged that one of Chasing Horse’s wives was offered to him as a “gift” when she was fifteen, while another became his wife after she turned sixteen.
Chasing Horse has also been accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.