LAS VEGAS — An alleged cult leader accused of sexually assaulting two women in Clark County appeared in court on Wednesday morning.
Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, was indicted in February and has pleaded not guilty to 19 felony charges, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, sexual assault, kidnapping, open and gross lewdness and drug trafficking. Prosecutors have accused him of committing crimes across the United States and Canada while operating a cult known as The Circle.
He is also known for playing Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Kevin Costner film “Dances With Wolves.”
Chasing Horse’s public defenders have requested evidence gathered during the investigation into Chasing Horse, including witness statements in the Nevada investigation and statements gathered by authorities in Arizona and South Dakota, court records show.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Stacy Kollins said Wednesday that prosecutors would like more time to address the request.
“I am sitting down with the law enforcement agencies again to make sure that there’s nothing else out there,” she said.
Public defenders declined to comment following the hearing. District Judge Carli Kierny set another hearing in the case for April 3.
Chasing Horse was arrested Jan. 31 after police raided his North Las Vegas home, where he lived with up to six women he viewed as wives, according to an arrest report. Two women told police in Clark County that they met Chasing Horse as girls at Native American ceremonies, and were raped by him when they were teenagers. One woman lived with him as his wife for multiple years.
Chasing Horse is also facing charges in federal court, and warrants charging him with sexual assault have been issued by the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and by Canadian authorities.
_____
