‘Dances With Wolves’ Actor Convicted of Sexual Assault in Las Vegas

Posted on: January 30, 2026, 05:03h.

Last updated on: January 30, 2026, 06:10h.

Corey Levitan Read More

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A Las Vegas jury on Friday convicted former “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse of sexually assaulting a minor
He was found guilty on 13 counts and acquitted of eight
His sentencing is set for March 11 in Las Vegas

A Las Vegas jury convicted Nathan Chasing Horse on Friday of sexually assaulting a minor. The 49-year-old “Dances With Wolves’ actor was found guilty of 13 counts, including sexual assault with a minor, lewdness, and visual explicit conduct of a child. The verdict concluded a three-week trial and a yearslong investigation involving allegations from two underage victims.

Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, who goes by Nathan Chasing Horse, is pictured in his police booking photo. (Image: LVMPD)

In 2012, prosecutors said, Chasing Horse used his status as a self‑proclaimed Lakota medicine man to convince a 14-year-old girl that “the spirits” required her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer. She testified that he threatened her mother would die if she disclosed the abuse.

Chasing Horse was 14 when he played the character Smiles a Lot in “Dances With Wolves.” (Image: Amazon MGM)

Chasing Horse is best known for playing Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film “Dances With Wolves.” After the Oscar-winning film, he traveled across North America performing healing ceremonies.

Second Victim

A second victim is tied to a separate set of allegations involving videos recovered from a locked safe during a January 2023 police raid on Chasing Horse’s North Las Vegas home.

Prosecutors said the cellphones contained recordings from 2010 or 2011 showing him sexually abusing the victim when she was 12 or 13. These recordings became part of charges that were refiled in 2024, after the Nevada Supreme Court dismissed the original indictment on procedural grounds unrelated to guilt or innocence.

As the verdict was read, Chasing Horse reportedly stood silently while victims and supporters wept and embraced in the courthouse hallway.

Chasing Horse was acquitted of eight of his original 21 charges, including kidnapping a minor, a separate count of sexual assault, use of a minor in producing pornography, and one count of visual depiction of sexual misconduct with a child.

His sentencing is scheduled for March 11.