"Dances With Wolves" Actor Appeals Indictment in Nevada High Court
Key Highlights :
A "Dances With Wolves" actor who has been charged with sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for more than a decade has asked Nevada's high court to toss his sweeping indictment in state court. Nathan Chasing Horse, 46, is facing 18 felony charges, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse, and kidnapping. He is also facing criminal charges in Canada, the U.S. District Court in Nevada, and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.
Chasing Horse, who rose to fame in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning movie, has argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him. His lawyers filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court on Tuesday, in an attempt to get his case dismissed. The presiding judge in the state’s case, Carli Kierny, upheld Chasing Horse’s indictment last month, writing in an order that prosecutors presented enough evidence for “a reasonable grand juror to conclude that the sexual assaults occurred.”
The actor’s trial was set to begin on May 1, but Kierny put a pause on criminal proceedings indefinitely as Chasing Horse appeals her decision. The arrest of Chasing Horse, who was known widely for his work in "Dances With Wolves," stunned Indian Country and helped authorities in other jurisdictions corroborate allegations against him.
The appeal to the state Supreme Court is the latest attempt by Chasing Horse to get his case dismissed. Deputy Clark County Public Defender Kristiy S. Holston wrote in an affidavit attached to the formal appeal that Chasing Horse is “pursuing this extraordinary writ because the trial court refused to dismiss the charges contained within the indictment in this case.”
If convicted, Chasing Horse could face decades - or life - in prison. His appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court is a crucial step in determining the fate of the actor, and could have far-reaching implications for Indigenous communities across the country.
