Latest news with #ChasingHorse
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sex abuse trial of former 'Dances with Wolves' actor in Nevada is again postponed
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The sex abuse trial of former 'Dances with Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse in Nevada has again been postponed. A judge on Monday moved the start of the trial in state court in Las Vegas to Aug. 4. The 48-year-old had been scheduled to stand trial next week on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for years in the Las Vegas area. Craig Mueller, Chasing Horse's lawyer, said in a motion filed Friday that he needs more time to prepare and interview witnesses. It's the latest in a series of delays since Chasing Horse was arrested and indicted in early 2023. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, kidnapping and producing and possessing videos of child sexual abuse. If convicted of the sexual assault charges, he could face decades or life in prison. After starring as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film 'Dances with Wolves,' Chasing Horse began promoting himself as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies, authorities have said. He was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. Prosecutors say Chasing Horse used his position to gain access to vulnerable women and girls for decades until his arrest near Las Vegas. He has been jailed ever since, but criminal proceedings were at a standstill for more than a year while Chasing Horse challenged his original indictment. It was eventually dismissed after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors had abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without any expert testimony. The high court's order, however, left open the possibility for charges to be refiled, and prosecutors quickly took their case before another grand jury. Chasing Horse was again indicted in October. The indictment added new allegations that he filmed himself having sex with one of his accusers when she was younger than 14. Prosecutors have said the footage, taken in 2010 or 2011, was found on cellphones in a locked safe inside the North Las Vegas home that Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl in the videos. His case has been unfolding at the same time lawmakers and prosecutors around the U.S. are funneling more resources into cases involving Native women, including human trafficking and killings.
Associated Press
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Sex abuse trial of former ‘Dances with Wolves' actor in Nevada is again postponed
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The sex abuse trial of former 'Dances with Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse in Nevada has again been postponed. A judge on Monday moved the start of the trial in state court in Las Vegas to Aug. 4. The 48-year-old had been scheduled to stand trial next week on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for years in the Las Vegas area. Craig Mueller, Chasing Horse's lawyer, said in a motion filed Friday that he needs more time to prepare and interview witnesses. It's the latest in a series of delays since Chasing Horse was arrested and indicted in early 2023. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, kidnapping and producing and possessing videos of child sexual abuse. If convicted of the sexual assault charges, he could face decades or life in prison. After starring as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film 'Dances with Wolves,' Chasing Horse began promoting himself as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies, authorities have said. He was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. Prosecutors say Chasing Horse used his position to gain access to vulnerable women and girls for decades until his arrest near Las Vegas. He has been jailed ever since, but criminal proceedings were at a standstill for more than a year while Chasing Horse challenged his original indictment. It was eventually dismissed after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors had abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without any expert testimony. The high court's order, however, left open the possibility for charges to be refiled, and prosecutors quickly took their case before another grand jury. Chasing Horse was again indicted in October. The indictment added new allegations that he filmed himself having sex with one of his accusers when she was younger than 14. Prosecutors have said the footage, taken in 2010 or 2011, was found on cellphones in a locked safe inside the North Las Vegas home that Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl in the videos. His case has been unfolding at the same time lawmakers and prosecutors around the U.S. are funneling more resources into cases involving Native women, including human trafficking and killings.
The Independent
07-04-2025
- The Independent
Sex abuse trial of former 'Dances with Wolves' actor in Nevada is again postponed
The sex abuse trial of former 'Dances with Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse in Nevada has again been postponed. A judge on Monday moved the start of the trial in state court in Las Vegas to Aug. 4. The 48-year-old had been scheduled to stand trial next week on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for years in the Las Vegas area. Craig Mueller, Chasing Horse's lawyer, said in a motion filed Friday that he needs more time to prepare and interview witnesses. It's the latest in a series of delays since Chasing Horse was arrested and indicted in early 2023. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, kidnapping and producing and possessing videos of child sexual abuse. If convicted of the sexual assault charges, he could face decades or life in prison. After starring as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film 'Dances with Wolves,' Chasing Horse began promoting himself as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies, authorities have said. He was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. Prosecutors say Chasing Horse used his position to gain access to vulnerable women and girls for decades until his arrest near Las Vegas. He has been jailed ever since, but criminal proceedings were at a standstill for more than a year while Chasing Horse challenged his original indictment. It was eventually dismissed after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors had abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without any expert testimony. The high court's order, however, left open the possibility for charges to be refiled, and prosecutors quickly took their case before another grand jury. Chasing Horse was again indicted in October. The indictment added new allegations that he filmed himself having sex with one of his accusers when she was younger than 14. Prosecutors have said the footage, taken in 2010 or 2011, was found on cellphones in a locked safe inside the North Las Vegas home that Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl in the videos. His case has been unfolding at the same time lawmakers and prosecutors around the U.S. are funneling more resources into cases involving Native women, including human trafficking and killings.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reporting Nathan Chasing Horse: Alleged victim recalls skepticism from police
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A woman who said she is one of the victims identified in charges against Nathan Chasing Horse in Canada shared her story with the 8 News Now Investigators. Janessa Lambert said the 'Dances with Wolves' actor sexually assaulted her in her British Columbia home in 2018 after she had broken up with him. Las Vegas judge to allow testimony from additional alleged victims in Nathan Chasing Horse trial 'I just remember feeling like did I ask for it? Did I say that's what I wanted? What did I do to make that happen?' the 31-year-old woman told the 8 News Now Investigators via Zoom. 'I just remember feeling disgusted and gross.' Sex abuse allegations for years: court docs in Nathan Chasing Horse case reveal criminal justice system failures Lambert said she reported the sexual assault to police in 2022 after seeing herself in her boyfriend's child. 'I just remember looking at her and thinking, do I want her to go through the same thing that I did?' she said. 'I remember taking a deep breath and looking at my boyfriend saying I'm going to police.' Chasing Horse pleads not guilty in Las Vegas child sex crimes case Similar to accounts from other women and underage girls who reported Chasing Horse, 48, to police over the past two decades, action was not immediately taken. 'It wasn't promised to me that anything would come of it. I think at the time my Aboriginal police officer was skeptical of the story,' Lambert recalled. 'I just remember him looking at me and saying I'll put this through as a file number but he said I can't promise anything will happen because he lives in the States, unless he enters Canada, there is nothing we can do. I remember feeling so defeated but happy I did my part.' Sex trafficking: Woman claims she is a survivor of 'Dances with Wolves' actor Las Vegas Metro police arrested Chasing Horse at his North Las Vegas home in January of 2023 after two additional women told police Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them, prompting cases like Lambert's to move forward. 'I remember of just being in shock and disbelief,' Lambert said. In addition to the Las Vegas case, there are warrants for Chasing Horse's arrest in Montana and Canada. A Clark County grand jury indicted Chasing Horse in October for 21 felony charges including 10 counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16 years of age, six counts of sexual assault, two counts of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a child, and one count each of use of a minor under the age of 14 in producing pornography, open or gross lewdness, and first-degree kidnapping of a minor. One charge dates back to 2010, according to court documents. Two women testified in front of the grand jury that Nathan Chasing Horse used his status as a 'Medicine Man' in the Native American culture to victimize them. The 8 News Now Investigators obtained transcripts from grand jury proceedings, which also reveal challenges in communicating with a third alleged victim. Some evidence in the case is sealed. Prosecutors said they have obtained at least two videos of Chasing Horse sexually assaulting a child. Lambert said she first met Chasing Horse when she was 13 years old during his visit to her community for ceremonies in the indigenous culture. She said he tried to set her up with one of his 'helpers,' a much older man when she was 16 and she refused his advances. Chasing Horse then zeroed in on Lambert, she recalled and had a conversation with her mother. 'He had said that the grandfathers had made it more clear in his dreams on who would take on that responsibility and that it was me, and that the responsibility of bringing back a medicine man to our nation was gonna fall through me and that I was going to be a wife one day,' Lambert told the 8 News Now Investigators. Chasing Horse had four wives at the time, according to Lambert. She said there appeared to be a competition to be the fifth. 'I think it shows the amount of manipulation,' she said. Lambert witnessed Chasing Horse physically abusing the other women, she told the 8 News Now Investigators. In 2018, after feeling a lack of love from Chasing Horse, Lambert broke up with him via text message. During a visit to her community after the breakup, she said Chasing Horse gave her an unwelcome kiss, and during the next visit, he sexually assaulted her. Lambert said she believed Chasing Horse groomed her. 'People always ask how did we get sucked in. Me and my family are really smart. We're very caring people. My mom has years of schooling. She has a lot of certificates under her belt. I have my Masters of Education now,' she said. 'But what he really worked at was that cultural yearning. He really exploited that and so I think he looked for families that were really yearning to have that connection.' Like other women who have reported that Chasing Horse sexually abused them, Lambert is hoping Chasing Horse is held accountable through Nevada's justice system. A jury trial is scheduled in Las Vegas for April 14, while Chasing Horse's next court appearance is April 7. To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas judge to allow testimony from additional alleged victims in Nathan Chasing Horse trial
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A judge will allow testimony from three women who said Nathan Chasing Horse sexually abused them when they were teenagers in the trial against him, even though two of them are not named as victims in his current case. In court Wednesday, Clark County District Court Judge Jessica Peterson explained the testimony may demonstrate a pattern by Chasing Horse and will provide the jury with a better understanding of the case. Melissa Leone, the mother of an alleged victim in the current case, attended the hearing. 'It's a victory,' Leone told the 8 News Now Investigators. 'It's a great win.' The 'Dances with Wolves' actor is scheduled to go on trial in April. A Clark County grand jury indicted Chasing Horse in October for 21 felony charges including 10 counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16 years of age, six counts of sexual assault, two counts of possession of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a child, and one count each of use of a minor under the age of 14 in producing pornography, open or gross lewdness and first-degree kidnapping of a minor. One charge dates back to 2010, according to court documents. Chasing Horse, 48, appeared in front of Peterson Wednesday morning. Chief Deputy District Attorney William 'Billy' Rowles argued allowing the testimony from the three women demonstrated a pattern of Chasing Horse using his status as a 'Medicine Man' to gain access to underage girls and sexually abuse them. Criminal defense attorney Craig Mueller argued against it, pointing out Chasing Horse was never charged in connection with the claims and the allegations were never proven in court. Peterson pointed out Nevada state law allows the court to admit evidence of other prior bad acts specifically in sex crimes cases. Multiple girls and women previously reported that Nathan Chasing Horse sexually abused them for nearly two decades, but their reports did not result in criminal charges. In a motion to admit evidence of other crimes filed by the district attorney's office on Dec. 12, prosecutors detailed the allegations from the additional alleged victims and included police reports. 'The defendant has groomed young women for at least over two decades and now starting as early as 2002/2003,' prosecutors wrote. One woman met Chasing Horse when she was 13 or 14 years old at a ceremony in Montana and thought of him as an uncle, according to the motion. Chasing Horse told her he 'wanted more,' the motion stated. When she was 15 years old, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her and told her not to tell anyone, according to the motion. She believed if she told someone what happened, bad things would happen to her family because of Chasing Horse's position as a 'Medicine Man,' the motion stated. Another woman met Chasing Horse when she was 13 years old and in a treatment center in Montana in 2003, according to the motion. Chasing Horse had approached her, asked her how old she was and asked for her address to visit her, the motion stated. Three months later, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her at least three times, according to the motion. 'Both incidents reflect another example of [the] defendant using his position in the community to gain access to young children, befriend them and their families, isolate them, and take advantage of them sexually,' the motion stated. Prosecutors also included a report from the North Las Vegas police department from 2015, after one woman who is now identified as a victim in the indictment, first came forward. The department closed the case citing that the 19-year-old woman 'had come to North Las Vegas of her own free will to meet a male that she said had sexually assaulted her, and because during the sexual incident did not say no, push away, yell or run away, I found that I did not believe it could be prosecuted in court.' This was despite the department learning from the Meade County Sheriff's office in Sturgus, South Dakota, that there were previous allegations against Chasing Horse of a similar nature. 'Deputy Bostrom had gotten information that Chasing Horse may have sexually assaulted other females from Canada while at Bear Butte South Dakota' the report stated. 'He spoke to Officer Fox of the Tsuu T'ina National Police Department and found that 3 females had reported sexual assault reports against Chasing Horse in Canada.' The report also referred to Chasing Horse's previous arrests in 1995 and 1996 in South Dakota for theft, obstructing and eluding police and 'priors for not paying child support in Montana.' Prosecutors said they have evidence including video of Chasing Horse sexually assaulting an underage girl. That girl was later considered to be one of Chasing Horse's 'wives,' and is now an adult. Attempts to talk to the woman have been unsuccessful as law enforcement has been met with hostility from her family, according to testimony. Police arrested Chasing Horse at his North Las Vegas home on Jan. 31, 2023. The Las Vegas case is the first of several to move forward against Chasing Horse after Corena Leona-Lacroix, now identified as a victim in the indictment, spoke out. Leone-Lacroix, who previously shared her story with the 8 News Now Investigators, testified she first met Chasing Horse as a child and at the age of 14, turned to him to help cure her mother's cancer. She said this was when Chasing Horse first sexually assaulted her. 'He said that it's what the spirits had wanted, that that was the price of helping my mom,' she said. Leone-Lacroix said Chasing Horse repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was underage. She said she eventually moved in with Chasing Horse and became a 'wife.' She described abuse inside the home. In 2019, Leone-Lacroix said she set up a Tinder profile which Chasing Horse later discovered. She testified he punished her. 'He had said that since I had wanted to be with other men so badly that he could make that happen and that that could be a way I could repay the betrayal that I had done by serving other men and being a vessel by letting men have sex with me. He said that the rules were though that I was not allowed to see them so I would be wearing a blindfold. I was not allowed to say anything and I was not allowed to move or touch them in return,' she said. 'I was just supposed to lay there and allow it to happen and that would be a way I could pay back my betrayal.' She testified this happened multiple times, both at Las Vegas hotels and inside a home. The second woman, who previously came forward to North Las Vegas police, testified Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her and then gave her a pill. She said she later developed an ectopic pregnancy. Leone-LaCroix also testified she was given a pill after the first alleged sexual assault and then Chasing Horse put her on birth control. Chasing Horse's followers were considered members of 'The Circle.' Chasing Horse was previously charged with 18 counts in Clark County District Court in connection with alleged sexual abuse against two of the three women in the current case. The Nevada Supreme Court dismissed the previous indictment in a Sept. 26 order and said prosecutors should not have defined 'grooming' to the grand jury. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson immediately told the 8 News Now Investigators that prosecutors would seek another indictment against Chasing Horse within weeks and would 'follow the dictates' of Nevada's high court. The order allowed prosecutors to retry Chasing Horse. Chasing Horse faces warrants in Montana and Canada. He has also previously been banned from several reservations. Chasing Horse is a 'Rosebud Sioux Indian, Lakota Tribe,' according to an arrest report. Chasing Horse was previously represented by the Clark County Public Defender's office. 8 News Now Investigator Vanessa Murphy can be reached at vmurphy@ To contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
