Federal prosecutors in Nevada have quietly dismissed Nathan Chasing Horse’s long-dormant sex abuse case, though the former “Dances with Wolves” star continues to face criminal allegations elsewhere. The federal case was dismissed on October 1, just as state prosecutors finalized the dismissal of their prosecution against Chasing Horse under a Nevada Supreme Court order.
The back-to-back dismissals are a startling twist in a legal drama that began in January when Las Vegas police arrested Chasing Horse and raided his home, resulting in the state’s 18-count indictment in Clark County District Court.
His arrest, which sent shockwaves through Indian Country, was shortly followed by additional criminal charges in four other jurisdictions across the United States and Canada. That includes the now-dismissed federal case accusing him of sexually abusing juveniles and possessing child sexual abuse materials, all of which arose from the same allegations that led to his detention. Chasing Horse is still facing criminal allegations in Canada, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, and Las Vegas.
Chasing Horse, best known for his role as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves,” 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. Authorities said he earned a reputation as a self-proclaimed medicine man among tribes and toured across North America to perform healing rites in the decades following his Oscar-winning performance in the film.
He is accused of exploiting his position to acquire access to vulnerable kids and women beginning in the early 2000s, as well as running a cult and marrying underage girls. According to court records, federal prosecutors did not act against Chasing Horse after filing allegations in February 2023. They filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on September 27 — a day after the Nevada Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of Chasing Horse’s indictment in state court — but did not explain why.
The state and federal cases were dismissed without prejudice, allowing prosecutors to refile the accusations. Federal prosecutor Steven Rose did not immediately respond to an email Monday inquiring whether the US government intended to do so. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has stated that his office will re-file the charges in state court, which include sexual assault on a juvenile, kidnapping, and child abuse. On Friday, state prosecutors in Las Vegas filed a fresh case against Chasing Horse, accusing him of taping himself and having sex with one of his accusers while she was less than 14. He is currently being held in the custody of Las Vegas police on $200,000 bail. In at least one video, the child appears to be “fully passed out,” according to prosecutor William Rowles.
Rowles stated that the material, shot in 2010 or 2011, was discovered on cellphones in a locked safe inside Chasing Horse’s North Las Vegas house, which he is claimed to have shared with five spouses, including the female in the recordings. Kristy Holston, his defense attorney, declined to comment on the new case or the dismissed federal accusations. Rowles said that he had no remark.
In late September, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Chasing Horse after his attorney successfully argued that the state’s case was tainted by a definition of grooming presented to the grand jury without expert testimony and that prosecutors should have shared inconsistent statements made by one of the victims. Chasing Horse has been imprisoned in Las Vegas since his capture last January. However, the matter had been stalled for over a year as he challenged it.
