‘Dances With Wolves’ actor Nathan Chasing Horse gets life sentence for sexual assault

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Nathan Chasing Horse, an actor famous for his part in the movie “Dances With Wolves,” received a life sentence on Monday from a Nevada judge. While he could potentially be eligible for parole, the sentence comes after he was found guilty last month of sexually assaulting several Native American women and girls.

At his sentencing hearing on Monday, 49-year-old Chasing Horse maintained his innocence, stating, “This is a miscarriage of justice.”

In February 2023, a Nevada grand jury charged the actor – known for roles in “The Broken Chain” and “Into the West” – with exploiting his status as a Lakota medicine man to abuse Indigenous women and girls. He was accused of physical and sexual assault, and of taking some of them as underage wives. After an 11-day trial nearly three years later, a Nevada jury found him guilty on 13 of the 21 charges. The Associated Press reported that many of these convictions related to his abuse of a girl who was 14 when the abuse began. He was found not guilty on some charges involving a different victim who was older and lived with him and others.

Entertainment & Arts

An actor known for his role in ‘Dances With Wolves’ has been indicted by a Nevada grand jury on charges of sexually abusing and trafficking Native American women and girls.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Jessica Peterson encouraged both the victims of Chasing Horse’s abuse and their supporters, telling them they had the strength to reclaim their lives and move forward.

Peterson explained he wouldn’t call the audience ‘victims’ or ‘survivors,’ as those labels felt limiting. Instead, he preferred to acknowledge their courage by calling them ‘brave women and brave men,’ emphasizing his desire for them to reclaim control of their lives.

Speaking directly to Chasing Horse, Peterson firmly criticized both the actor and his lawyer, Craig Mueller, for refusing to admit wrongdoing and minimizing the evidence suggesting an assault had occurred.

She told the actor he had exploited the women’s trust and faith for his own benefit. The judge assured him the court would prevent him from ever harming anyone that way again.

Entertainment & Arts

According to a Nevada prosecutor, the former actor from “Dances With Wolves” who was arrested in January was accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls as part of a pattern of grooming young children to become future wives, replacing his older ones.

During Monday’s sentencing hearing in Nevada, the prosecutor proposed a sentence of 37 years to life for Chasing Horse. His attorney, Mueller, worried that this could mean his client would be released when he was very old. Mueller also described the women who accused Chasing Horse – several of whom spoke at the hearing – as “unhappy young women.”

“I don’t understand this,” Mueller said of the suggested sentence.

Chasing Horse will be eligible for parole after 37 years.

With the Nevada legal proceedings finished, Chasing Horse is now dealing with accusations of sexual assault that are being investigated in Canada.

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2026-04-28 21:32