(Las Vegas) A Nevada judge upheld an indictment against a former Dances With Wolves actor for 18 crimes related to sexual abuse, but dismissed a drug trafficking charge.
In an order issued late Friday afternoon, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence. However, she believes there is no substantial evidence to link Nathan Chasing Horse to the psilocybin (magic mushrooms) investigators found during a search of his home.
Chasing Horse, 46, had asked the court to dismiss the entire indictment, saying the plaintiffs wanted to have sex with him. One of the girls was under 16 – the age of consent in Nevada – when she said Chasing Horse began abusing her.
Chasing Horse was charged in February with sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, child abuse, obscenity and drug trafficking. He has been held on $300,000 bond in a jail since Jan. 31, when he was arrested near the home he shared with his five wives in North Las Vegas.
Following his arrest, further criminal charges in at least three other jurisdictions, including Canada and Nevada, as well as the Fort Peck Native Reservation in Montana.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He is best known for his role as the young Sioux warrior Smiles A Lot in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film.
Police and prosecutors say that in the decades since his appearance in the Oscar-winning film, Chasing Horse has portrayed himself as a healer with healing powers and the ability to communicate with higher beings.
Authorities accuse him of using his position to lead a cult known as The Circle and gain access to vulnerable girls and women. He would also have had underage wives.
The alleged crimes date back to the early 2000s and took place in several US states, including Nevada, Montana and South Dakota, according to his indictment in state court.
One of the victims was 14 years old, authorities say, when Chasing Horse told her that the spirits of their ancestors had ordered him to have sex with her.
A trial is due to begin on May 1. Chasing Horse pleaded not guilty and asserted its right to a trial within 60 days of being charged.
He is due back in court next week for a hearing on another motion asking the judge to grant him separate trials. Chasing Horse and its attorneys argued in the motion that the plaintiffs’ allegations were unrelated.
