Nathan Chasing Horse, who is known for his acting role in “Dances With Wolves,” was convicted by a Nevada jury on sexual assault charges that prosecutors said involved Indigenous victims in what they described as a long-running pattern of abuse. The Las Vegas jury found him guilty on 13 of 21 counts, according to prosecutors and court reporting, and rejected some of the allegations on which he faced trial.
As the verdict was read, Chasing Horse stood quietly in the courtroom. Victims and their supporters cried and hugged in the hallway while wearing yellow ribbons, the Associated Press reported. The main accuser declined to comment, AP said.
The case marked the climax of prosecutors’ yearslong effort to prosecute Chasing Horse after he was first arrested and indicted in 2023, AP reported. Prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls, and they presented testimony from three women who said he sexually assaulted them, including some who were underage at the time.
During deliberations, the jury’s guilty verdicts centered on a victim who was 14 when, prosecutors said, the abuse began. AP reported that the jury acquitted Chasing Horse of some sexual assault charges connected to another victim who was older and lived with him and with his other companions.
Chasing Horse, 49, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison under the conviction, AP said. His sentencing is scheduled for March 11.
Clark County chief deputy district attorney William Rowles told the court that he hoped the women who had come forward could find peace. AP quoted Rowles as saying, “I just hope that the people who came forward over the years and made complaints against Nathan Chasing Horse can find some peace in this.”
Prosecutors said sexual assault cases often involve few, if any, eyewitnesses and that many assaults occur behind closed doors. AP reported that deputy district attorney Bianca Pucci argued in closing arguments that for almost 20 years, Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that caught many women.
Defense attorney Craig Mueller said he would file a motion for a new trial. AP reported that Mueller told the Associated Press he was confused and disappointed by the verdict and said he had “meaningful doubts about the sincerity of the accusations,” after arguing there was no evidence, including from eyewitnesses, and questioning the credibility of the main accuser.
In a statement, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said, “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.” AP reported that the verdict came as authorities have responded more in recent years to violence against Native women, and prosecutors said the accusations involved allegations that began when the main accuser was 14, including claims that Chasing Horse told her that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother.
AP also reported that British Columbia prosecutors said they will assess next steps in their prosecution once Chasing Horse has been sentenced in the United States and after any appeals are finished. Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the Lakota nation’s seven tribes, AP reported.