Nathan Chasing Horse has been charged on both sides of the border — Fort Peck, Montana, Keremeos, B.C., and now out of Tsuut'ina Nation
Calgary Herald
Michael Rodriguez
June 13, 2023
The Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service says actor turned alleged cult leader Nathan Chasing Horse has been charged in relation to a litany of sex crimes locally — including multiple offences against children.
Police say nine warrants were issued for Chasing Horse’s arrest on Saturday. He’s facing four counts of sexual assault, four counts of sexual exploitation, one count of sexual interference with a person under the age of 16 years, and one count of removal of a child from Canada under the age of 16 years.
The announcement comes months after Chasing Horse was arrested and charged with several sex crimes in his North Las Vegas home at the end of January. Tsuut’ina police worked alongside detectives in Nevada on that case, for which criminal proceedings are ongoing. He’s since been charged on both sides of the border — Fort Peck, Montana, Keremeos, B.C., and now out of Tsuut’ina Nation — on similar charges.
Tsuut’ina police told reporters shortly after the Las Vegas charges that charges against Chasing Horse locally were in the pipeline and they expected more local victims to come forward, but have remained mum on the issue since February.
“(T)he prosecution of Nathan Chasing Horse in different legal jurisdictions has required significant planning and cooperation between prosecutors,” said the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service in a news release Tuesday.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department detectives said in their January arrest report that Chasing Horse leveraged his position as a “medicine man” across multiple states and parts of Canada to sexually abuse a number of young Indigenous girls and, over two decades, acquired a number of so-called “wives” — one of whom was as young as 13. He’s also purported to have led a cult-like group entitled “The Circle,” where he was referred to as a “holy man.”
Tsuut’ina banned Chasing Horse in 2015
Tsuut’ina police have previously said Chasing Horse was banned from Tsuut’ina by the nation’s council in 2015, as he posed a threat to the “safety and well-being” of nation members. No specific reason has been given for the ban, but he did not face any charges locally at the time.
The local charges involve offences dating back as far as 2005, and Tsuut’ina police say their investigation spanned several years.
“We would like to extend our thanks and continued support to our victims that have come forward. This requires strength and bravery for those who have come forward to speak their truth,” said Tsuut’ina police. “It is time to begin to heal.”
Chasing Horse is best known for playing Sioux tribe member Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves, but according to his IMDB profile, he’s appeared in multiple smaller productions shot in southern Alberta. Chasing Horse was in a 2003 movie called DreamKeeper, shot partially in Standoff; a 2005 Drumheller-filmed series called Into the West; and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a 2007 film shot in Calgary.
Tsuut’ina police are expected to release further information about the local charges at a media availability Wednesday.
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
https://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/dances-with-wolves-actor-charged-child-sex-crimes-tsuutina
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