US prosecutors drop sexual assault charges against actor Nathan Chasing Horse

Warning: This story contains allegations of sexual harassment.

US prosecutors in Nevada quietly dismissed a sexual assault case against Nathan Chasing Horse, even though the case Dances with wolves the actor is still facing criminal charges elsewhere.

The US government’s case was dismissed on Oct. 1, when federal prosecutors completed the dismissal of their case against Chasing Horse under a Nevada Supreme Court order.

The back-to-back evictions are a dramatic development in a legal saga that began when Las Vegas police arrested Chasing Horse and raided his home in January 2023, leading to his 18-count indictment in Clark County District Court.

His arrest was quickly followed by other criminal charges in four other jurisdictions in the US and Canada. That includes a dismissed federal case charging him with child sexual exploitation and possession of child sexual abuse material, charges stemming from the same allegations that led to his arrest.

Costs in Canada, Montana and Las Vegas

Chasing Horse is still facing criminal charges in Canada, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, and Las Vegas.

He is best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film Dances with wolvesChasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home of the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota tribe.

Federal prosecutors took no action in their case against Chasing Horse after filing charges in February 2023, court records show. They moved to dismiss the case on Sept. 27 — a day after the Nevada Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of Chasing Horse’s case in state court — but did not elaborate in court papers on why they wanted to dismiss it.

Both federal and state charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can refile the charges.

State Attorney Steven Rose did not immediately respond to an email Monday asking if the US government intends to do so. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office will file the charges — which include child sexual abuse, kidnapping and child abuse — in state court.

State prosecutors opened a new case

Federal prosecutors on Friday filed a new lawsuit in Las Vegas against Chasing Horse accusing him of filming himself having sex with one of his accusers when he was younger than 14.

He is being held in Las Vegas police custody on $200,000 bail.

In at least one video, the girl “passed out,” prosecutor William Rowles said Monday in court.

Rowles said the images, taken in 2010 or 2011, were found on cellphones in a locked safe inside a North Las Vegas home Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl in the videos.

His attorney, Kristy Holston, declined to comment on the new indictment or the federal charges being dismissed. Rowles also said he had no comment.

The Nevada Supreme Court in late September sided with Chasing Horse, after his attorney successfully argued that the grooming explanation — presented to the grand jury without expert testimony — had tainted the state’s case, and that prosecutors should have shared the inconsistent statements with the grand jury. made by one of the victims.

Chasing Horse’s case has been stalled for more than a year while it is being contested.