Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse

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Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse
Nathan Chasing Horse.jpg
Chasing Horse in 2007
Born (1976-04-28) April 28, 1976 (age 49)
Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation, South Dakota, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1990–2023
Children Quannah Chasinghorse

Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse (born April 28, 1976), also known as Nathan Chasing Horse and Nathan Chases His Horse, is a Sicangu Lakota actor. On January 30, 2026, he was convicted of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, using his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to gain access to his victims.

Contents

Life and career

Chasing Horse portrayed the young Lakota character Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's 1990 film Dances with Wolves . [1] He has appeared in three TNT telefilms with First Nations actor Eric Schweig: The Broken Chain, Into the West , and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee .

He is the father of model Quannah Chasinghorse. She was raised and taught by her single mother, Jody Potts-Joseph. [2]

Police allege that he used his leadership position to abuse young Native American girls; he was charged in 2023 with sexual assault by the North Las Vegas Police Department and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. [3] [4]

On July 6, 2015, after attempting to hold a Sun Dance ceremony in the area, Chasing Horse was banned by officials from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana as a "safety threat" because of charges of "human trafficking, sexual abuse, drug dealing, and intimidation of tribal members". [5] [1]

Chasing Horse was arrested on January 31, 2023, by officers of the North Las Vegas Police Department and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Officers conducted a SWAT team raid on the house that he shared with his five wives, located in North Las Vegas. [3] According to a 50-page search warrant, Chasing Horse is alleged to have led a cult known as The Circle. [6] Police report that they seized firearms, and that Chasing Horse was instructing his followers to "shoot it out" with law enforcement. He told them that if they failed, they should take suicide pills. [7]

The Las Vegas police, as stated in the search warrant, have found evidence of at least six claims of sexual abuse, with one victim reporting being assaulted at the age of 13. [8] The allegations against Chasing Horse span multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota, and Nevada where he has lived for the past 10 years, and date to the early 2000s. [6] [5]

On January 30, 2026, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, convicted Chasing Horse on multiple charges related to the sexual assault of a minor. He was acquitted on other sexual assault charges. Chasing Horse had pleaded not guilty to all 21 charges. Prosecutors alleged that Chasing Horse used his status as a Lakota medicine man to sexually abuse Indigenous women and girls. Several of the convictions related to offenses involving a victim who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. Sentencing is scheduled for March 11, 2026. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 25 years. [9] [10] [11]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1990 Dances with Wolves Smiles a Lot
1993The Broken ChainYoung Joseph Brant TV movie
2003 Dreamkeeper VerdelTV movie
2005 Into the West Sleeping BearTV movie
2007 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee One BullTV movie

References

  1. 1 2 Montclair, Louis (July 17, 2015). "Actor, 'Medicine Man' Chasing Horse Banished From Fort Peck". ICT News . Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  2. ↑ Hurley, Bevan (February 2, 2023). "Nathan Chasing Horse lured young girls into a sex cult, authorities say". The Independent . Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Yamat, Rio (February 2, 2023). "Records: 'Dances with Wolves' actor armed cult against cops". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Las Vegas police: 'Dances With Wolves' actor to be charged with sex assault". Fox 5 Vegas . Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Dances with Wolves actor and alleged cult leader arrested on sex abuse claims". The Guardian . Associated Press. February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Yamat, Rio (January 31, 2023). "'Dances with Wolves' actor arrested in Nevada sex abuse case". AP News .
  7. ↑ "Records: 'Dances with Wolves' actor armed cult against cops". Fox 5 Vegas. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Dances with Wolves actor to face judge over alleged sexual abuse". The Guardian. Associated Press. February 2, 2023. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ ""Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse found guilty of sexual assault - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "'Dances With Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse convicted on sexual assault charges". ABC News. Retrieved January 31, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ "'Dances With Wolves' actor found guilty of multiple charges of sexual assault". The Independent. January 31, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
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