Alberta police believe 'Dances With Wolves' star may have abused local victims
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of 46-year-old actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Chasing Horse, who played Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in the 1990 Kevin Costner film Dances with Wolves, allegedly sexually assaulted and trafficked young Indigenous girls over the period of two decades.
The offences allegedly occurred during Chasing Horse's time as a medicine man who conducted healing ceremonies and hosted spiritual gatherings.
According to Chasing Horse's arrest report from last October, RCMP in Keremeos, B.C., tipped off Las Vegas officers that Chasing Horse had been named as a sexual assault suspect in a case the RCMP were investigating.
The victim in the small southwestern B.C. community near the U.S. border filed a report in September, 2018.
The Associated Press confirmed that a tip from the public spurred an investigation in October 2022 into Chasing Horse, who is believed to be the leader of a cult known as The Circle, that led to police identifying six other alleged victims. The sexual allegations are said to have taken place in Montana, South Dakota and Nevada.
Las Vegas police work near the home of former actor Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, who goes by Nathan Chasing Horse, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in North Las Vegas, Nev. Authorities raided the home of the former actor Tuesday in connection with a sexual assault investigation. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Chasing Horse has been charged with:
- Sexual assault of a child less than 16 years old;
- Two counts of sexual assault;
- Two counts of sex trafficking of an adult; and
- Child abuse/neglect
On Wednesday, Tsuut'ina Nation police, located just west of Calgary city limits, announced they were working alongside their policing partners in Alberta, including the Calgary Police Service, as part of the stateside investigation.
"We believe there may be other victims that may want to come forward," said Tsuut'ina police officials in a statement released Wednesday. "We are further reviewing all related historical sexual assault files and working with a dedicated Crown prosecutor to ensure all victims have a voice.
"There is no statute of limitations on criminal sexual offences in Canada and we encourage anyone who has been a victim of a serious crime to report it, even if many years have passed since the incident."
The Calgary Police Service issued the following statement Wednesday afternoon regarding the arrest of Chasing Horse.
"We encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault to report it to their local police agency, and want to remind everyone that there is no statute of limitations on the reporting of a sexual assault in Canada. However, we know that not all victims will feel comfortable reporting to police, and encourage them to reach out to the resources provided by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, or locally to a community organization such as Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, or the Aboriginal Friendship Centre here in Calgary."
Anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault or who has information regarding alleged offences involving Chasing Horse is encouraged to contact the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service at 403-251-9660 or anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.