‘Dances With Wolves’ Star Has Sex Abuse Charges Dismissed in Nevada
‘TWO CLEAR ERRORS’
The Nevada sex abuse case against the Indigenous American actor Nathan Chasing Horse is set to be dismissed after the state’s supreme court took issue with the indictment, although charges can still be re-filed. Chasing Horse, who played Smiles A Lot in the movie Dances With Wolves, faced 18 criminal counts—which included sexual assault, sex trafficking, and child abuse—as prosecutors alleged that he used his status as a self-proclaimed medicine man to systematically groom and abuse Indigenous women and girls. The court reversed the decision of an earlier panel to uphold the indictment, citing the fact that the definition of grooming presented to the grand jury lacked the support of expert testimony. It also found that prosecutors failed to provide the grand jury with evidence that could counter the allegations against Chasing Horse. “The combination of these two clear errors undermines our confidence in the grand jury proceedings and created intolerable damage to the independent function of the grand jury process,” the court said. Chasing Horse is likely to remain in custody, as he faces charges in four other jurisdictions.