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Nathan Chasing Horse Was Convicted Of Multiple Charges
Content Warning: The following article contains material related to sexual assault and other violent crimes that may be disturbing to some readers.
Nathan Chasing Horse, an actor known for his role in Dances With Wolves, was convicted of 13 charges in January. His sentencing hearing took place on April 27th.
He played young Lakota character Smiles A Lot in the Academy Award-winning movie Dances With Wolves, which was directed by Kevin Costner.
The 50-year-old actor was on trial in January for 21 charges of sexual assault and was found guilty of 13 counts. The trial took place over eleven days and marked the end of a “years-long effort” to prosecute Chasing Horse, who has been in jail since 2023, after police executed a search warrant at his Las Vegas home.
According to the Associated Press, the trial featured testimonies from three women who alleged Chasing Horse assaulted them. The main accuser said she was just 14 when he began sexually assaulting her, and threatening to kill her mother if she told anyone. She alleges the abuse began in 2012.
The Abuse Went On For Decades
The Deputy District Attorney said that Nathan Chasing Horse’s abuse has gone on for nearly 20 years in the native American communities, and that he used his position as a Lakota “Medicine Man” or “Holy Person” to gain the trust of his victims.
He was convicted on 10 counts of sexual assault of a minor under 16, 1 count of open/gross lewdness, 1 count of sexual assault, and 1 count of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a child.
He also has charges in other states, as well as Canada. His warrant remains active in Alberta, Canada.
Prior to his sentencing hearing, he faced a minimum of 25 years in prison. On April 27, Judge Jessica Peterson sentenced him to 37 to life in prison with a possibility of parole after serving 25 years. He will receive credit for time served.
KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas streamed the sentencing.
Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles said, “For decades, victims of Nathan Chasing Horse came forward and they were ignored. I hope this verdict gives them some peace.”
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson added, “Today’s verdict sends a clear message that exploitation and abuse will not be tolerated, regardless of the defendant’s public persona or claims of spiritual authority.”
Chasing Horse continues to deny the allegations, saying the outcome is a “miscarriage of justice.”
If you, or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-656-4673.
