He used spiritual authority to gain access to vulnerable girls and women
In the decades following a brief moment of Hollywood recognition, Nathan Chasing Horse allegedly constructed a shadow life — one in which spiritual authority became a weapon against the most vulnerable. Nevada's Supreme Court has now cleared the way for a full reckoning, rejecting his bid to dismiss an 18-count indictment and ensuring that the long arc of alleged exploitation, stretching across tribal communities in multiple states, will be examined in open court. The case asks something ancient and painful: how easily trust, once rooted in sacred tradition, can be turned against those it was meant to protect.
- A man who once appeared in an Oscar-winning film spent the following decades allegedly using a fabricated spiritual identity to prey on Indigenous women and girls across Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota.
- At least one victim was only 14 years old when Chasing Horse allegedly told her that ancestral spirits had commanded him to have sex with her — a claim that weaponized sacred belief against a child.
- His defense argued the indictment was tainted by prosecutorial overreach, including the introduction of grooming definitions that allegedly prejudiced the grand jury before it could deliberate fairly.
- Nevada's Supreme Court found no merit in those arguments, leaving the full 18-count indictment — covering sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, and child abuse — intact and headed to trial.
- The ruling signals that the years of alleged abuse, long shielded by reputation and community trust, will now face the full scrutiny of open court proceedings.
In January, law enforcement arrested Nathan Chasing Horse near his North Las Vegas home — a man known to some as the boy who played Smiles a Lot in the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," and known to others as a traveling medicine man who moved through Indigenous communities performing healing ceremonies. Authorities say those two identities concealed a third: that of a predator who spent decades exploiting the trust of vulnerable women and girls.
This week, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected his motion to dismiss an 18-count indictment, allowing prosecutors to move forward with charges including sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, and child abuse. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Investigators allege that beginning in the early 2000s, he used his self-proclaimed spiritual authority to gain access to victims across Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota. One victim was 14 years old when he allegedly told her that ancestral spirits had commanded him to have sex with her. At the time of his arrest, he was living with five women he called his wives.
His defense argued that the encounters were consensual and that prosecutors had compromised the grand jury process by introducing evidence — including a definition of grooming — that unfairly shaped the outcome. The Supreme Court found those arguments unpersuasive, and the case will now proceed to trial with the indictment fully intact.
What remains is a courtroom confrontation with a story long in the making — one in which a minor footnote in film history allegedly gave way to something far darker, built on the sacred language of healing and the silence of those who had every reason to believe.
In January, law enforcement arrested a 47-year-old man near his home in North Las Vegas on charges that would reshape how one of Hollywood's minor actors from the 1980s would be remembered. Nathan Chasing Horse, who played Smiles a Lot in the 1990 Oscar-winning film "Dances with Wolves," had been living a double life for decades, authorities say—one as a traveling healer, another as a predator who used spiritual authority to exploit Indigenous women and girls across state lines.
This week, Nevada's highest court rejected his attempt to have the case dismissed. The decision clears the way for prosecutors to move forward with an 18-count indictment that reads like a catalog of exploitation: sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping, child abuse, and allegations that he operated something resembling a cult, taking underage wives and abusing victims over a span of years. Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The allegations span decades and cross multiple states. Law enforcement says that beginning in the early 2000s, Chasing Horse traveled around North America performing what he called healing ceremonies, building a reputation among tribal communities as a self-proclaimed medicine man. That reputation, investigators say, became his tool. He used it to gain access to vulnerable girls and women—girls and women who trusted him because of who he claimed to be.
One victim was 14 years old when Chasing Horse told her that ancestral spirits had commanded him to have sex with her. The abuse allegations involve victims in Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota. At the time of his arrest in January, he was living with five women he referred to as his wives.
Chasing Horse's defense team argued the encounters were consensual and that the indictment itself was flawed—that prosecutors had poisoned the grand jury process by introducing evidence, including a definition of grooming, that unfairly shaped the case. His public defender, Kristy Holston, contended the district attorney's office had overreached. But the Nevada Supreme Court found no merit in those arguments. The court's ruling means the case will now proceed to trial, with the full weight of the state's allegations intact.
What happens next is a question that will play out in a courtroom, but the arc of the story is already clear: a man who once stood on screen as a minor character in a celebrated film spent the decades after that moment building a different kind of narrative—one constructed from spiritual authority and the vulnerability of Indigenous communities. The court's decision this week means that narrative will finally be tested in open court.
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Why did the court reject his motion to dismiss? What was the actual legal argument?
His defense said the sexual encounters were consensual and that the grand jury had been tainted by how prosecutors presented evidence—specifically by defining grooming in a way that prejudiced the case. The court didn't buy it. They found the indictment solid enough to move forward.
So he's been in custody since January. How does someone go from a small role in a famous film to this?
That's the strange part. After "Dances with Wolves," he didn't stay in Hollywood. He built a reputation as a healer, a medicine man traveling around Indigenous communities. That gave him access and credibility—exactly what he needed to exploit people who trusted him.
The victims span multiple states. How long has this allegedly been happening?
Since the early 2000s, authorities say. That's two decades of alleged abuse across Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota. One victim was 14 when it started.
What strikes you most about this case?
The deliberateness of it. He didn't stumble into this. He cultivated a spiritual identity, traveled to vulnerable communities, and used that position systematically. It's predatory in the most calculated way.
What happens now?
Trial. The court cleared the path. His defense will have to argue their case in front of a jury, but they've already lost the first major battle—the motion to dismiss.