Nathan Chasing Horse, the former “Dances with Wolves” actor accused of sexual abuse, was temporarily thrown out of court Monday in Las Vegas after he disrupted court proceedings and demanded he be allowed to fire his defense attorney a week before trial, according to the Associated Press.
Nevada Judge Jessica Peterson ordered that Chasing Horse’s jury trial proceed next week as planned and removed him from the courtroom after he tried to speak over her, the report said.
Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges, including allegations that he sexually assaulted women and girls and that he filmed himself sexually abusing a girl younger than 14, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors also allege he used his reputation as a spiritual leader and healer to take advantage of Native American women and girls over two decades.
In court, Chasing Horse argued that his attorney, Craig Mueller, did not come to visit him and did not file timely, and he asked that a public defender who previously represented him be his attorney, the Associated Press said. The report also said Mueller, a private defense attorney, told the court his client was ready and privately told Peterson that one of his investigators had visited with Chasing Horse. Mueller declined to comment to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press described Chasing Horse as best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 movie “Dances with Wolves.” It said he 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.
After starring in “Dances with Wolves,” prosecutors said Chasing Horse began presenting himself as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies, the report said. When he was arrested in 2023, prosecutors said he was living in a North Las Vegas house with his five wives.
The Associated Press said the case drew attention in Indian Country and that the original indictment was dismissed in 2024 after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled prosecutors abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without expert testimony. The report said the court left open the possibility of charges being refiled and that a new indictment was brought later that year.
Prosecutors allege Chasing Horse led a cult called The Circle, and that his followers believed he could speak with spirits, according to the Associated Press. The report also said a transcript from a grand jury hearing states that victims went to Chasing Horse for medical help.
Prosecutors expect the trial to last three weeks, with the Associated Press reporting that it is scheduled to begin Monday.