'Dances with Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse standing trial in Las
Vegas
[January 13, 2026]
By JESSICA HILL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The jury trial for Nathan Chasing Horse, the former
“Dances with Wolves” actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women
and girls, is expected to begin Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors allege he used his reputation as a spiritual leader and
healer to take advantage of his victims over two decades. Chasing Horse
has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges, including sexual assault, sexual
assault with a minor, first degree kidnapping of a minor and the use of
a minor in producing pornography.
The case sent shock waves across Indian Country when he was arrested and
indicted in early 2023. There were many setbacks and delays, but the
case finally proceeded to trial after prosecutors added allegations that
he filmed himself having sex with a child.
Best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 movie
“Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse 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.
After starring in the Oscar-winning film, according to prosecutors,
Chasing Horse proclaimed himself to be a Lakota medicine man while
traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies.
Prosecutors claim Chasing Horse led a cult called The Circle, and his
followers believed he could speak with spirits. His victims went to him
for medical help, according to a court transcript from a grand jury
hearing.
One victim was 14 years old when she approached him hoping he would heal
her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. Chasing Horse previously had
treated the victim’s breathing issues and her mother’s spider bite,
according to a court transcript. He allegedly told her the spirits
wanted her to give up her virginity in exchange for her mother’s health.
He allegedly had sex with her and said her mother would die if she told
anyone, according to the victim’s testimony to the grand jury.
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Nathan Chasing Horse appears at a hearing before the start of his
trial at the Regional Justice Center, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Las
Vegas. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
 The original indictment was
dismissed in 2024 after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled prosecutors
abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of
grooming as evidence without any expert testimony.
The high court, specifying that the dismissal had nothing to do with
his innocence or guilt, left open the possibility of charges being
refiled. In October 2024, the charges were refiled with new
allegations that he recorded himself having sex with one of his
accusers when she was younger than 14.
Prosecutors have said the recordings, made in 2010 or 2011, were
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.
Jury selection will begin Tuesday. The trial is expected to last
four weeks, and prosecutors plan to call 18 witnesses. A week before
the trial, Chasing Horse attempted to fire his private defense
attorney, saying his lawyer hadn't come to visit him. Judge Jessica
Peterson removed Chasing Horse from the courtroom when he tried to
interrupt her, and she denied his request.
This case is a reminder that violence also occurs within Native
communities and is not just something committed by outsiders, said
Crystal Lee, CEO and founder of the organization United Natives,
which offers services to victims of sexual abuse.
Chasing Horse’s trial requires hard conversations about Native
perpetrators, she said.
“How do we hold them accountable?” she said. “How do we start these
tough conversations?”
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