Former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse has been arrested by Las Vegas police and accused of sexually assaulting young indigenous girls, according to police records.
Police raided the home of the 46-year-old, who goes by the name of Nathan Chasing Horse and is suspected of being the leader of a cult known as The Circle, on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
Police have reportedly identified at least six alleged victims dating back over 20 years.
Who Is Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse?
Nathan Chasing Horse is best known for his role in the 1990 Oscar-winning Kevin Costner film Dances With Wolves.
He portrayed the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in the movie, which was directed and fronted by Costner.
Chasing Horse was 14 when when the film, which also had Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene and Rodney A. Grant on the cast, was released.
He went on to appear in three made-for-television productions with actor Eric Schweig, who is perhaps best known for his role as Chingachgook's son Uncas in 1992's The Last of the Mohicans.
The pair starred together in The Broken Chain, Into the West and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
Chasing Horse's last TV or film acting credit was Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which was released in 2007. Since then he has become known for giving speaking engagements and workshops on spirituality.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, which is one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.
What Charges Is Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse Facing?
Chasing Horse was arrested on Tuesday afternoon near the North Las Vegas home he is said to share with his five wives, according to police records obtained by The Associated Press.
Newsweek has contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for comment. No lawyer has yet been allocated to Chasing Horse who could comment on his behalf, per BBC News.
Chasing Horse is accused of using his position and reputation as a "medicine man" who performed "healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings" to abuse young Native American girls.
Police have reportedly been investigating the former actor since October 2022, after "receiving a tip" that prompted the investigation.
According to a 50-page search warrant, obtained by The Associated Press, Las Vegas police have uncovered sexual allegations against Chasing Horse in multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where he has lived for almost 10 years.
The warrant also states that Chasing Horse was banished from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana in 2015, amid allegations of human trafficking.
Although the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, Tuesday's arrest in Las Vegas stems from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada's Clark County. Chasing Horse has been charged with sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse.
Chasing Horse has also been accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.
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About the writer
Laura Donaldson is a Newsweek Film and TV Reporter (SEO), based in Edinburgh, U.K. Her focus is on reality TV. ... Read more
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