01 February 2023 , 11:20
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A former actor who appeared alongside Kevin Costner in Dancing with Wolves has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting young Indigenous girls during a period spanning two decades.
46-year-old Nathan Chasing Horse was taken into custody by Las Vegas police on Tuesday amid allegations that he's the leader of a cult known as The Circle.
Police have identified at least six alleged victims, with some as young as 13.
The actor, who played young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in the 1990 film, was taken into police custody after SWAT officers raided his Las Vegas home, which he reportedly shares with his five wives.
Chasing Horse, whose full name is Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, has been charged with sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse, according to the arrest warrant.
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Nathan Chasing Horse has been arrested by Las Vegas police (AP)
The former actor is accused of leading a cult (Myspace)He was arrested following a months-long investigation which began after police received a tip in October 2022.
"Nathan Chasing Horse used spiritual traditions and their belief system as a tool to sexually assault young girls on numerous occasions," police records obtained by The Associated Press read.
It adds his followers believed he could communicate with higher beings and referred to him as Medicine Man or Holy Person.
Followers of The Circle offered their young daughters to Chasing Horse to take as wives.
SWAT officers raided his home in Las Vegas (John Locher/AP/REX/Shutterstock)One girl was allegedly offered as a "gift" to him when she was 15 years old. Another is said to have married him when she turned 16.
He has been accused of prostituting the young Indigenous girls by offering them for sex to other men who allegedly paid him.
The warrant also states that Chasing Horse allegedly recorded his sexual assaults.
The sexual assault allegations against Chasing Horse date back to the early 2000s and span across multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada.
Chasing Horse has lived in Nevada for the past decade.
He was reportedly banished from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana in 2015 amid allegations of human trafficking, according to the warrant.
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No lawyer was listed in court records for Chasing Horse who could comment on his behalf.
Chasing Horse's arrest comes as state attorneys general and lawmakers around the US are looking at creating specialised units to handle cases involving Native women.