LAS VEGAS — Alleged cult leader Nathan Chasing Horse pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that he raped two women.
Prosecutors have accused Chasing Horse of committing crimes across the United States and Canada, grooming and sexually assaulting Native American women and girls while operating a cult known as The Circle. Chasing Horse was indicted last week on 19 felony charges, including sexual assault of a minor under 16, sexual assault, kidnapping, open and gross lewdness and drug trafficking.
Chasing Horse is also known for playing Smiles A Lot in the 1990 Kevin Costner film “Dances With Wolves.”
He pleaded not guilty during his first appearance in District Court on Wednesday, and asked for a speedy trial.
“I invoke my right to a speedy trial and also to a 60-day trial under Nevada law,” he told District Judge Carli Kierny.
Kierny scheduled a jury trial for April 17 and ordered Chasing Horse to appear in court again on April 10.
Chief Deputy Public Defender Kristy Holston declined to comment following Wednesday’s court hearing.
Chasing Horse was arrested Jan. 31 after police raided his North Las Vegas home, where he lived with up to six women he viewed as wives, according to an arrest report. Two women in Clark County told police they met Chasing Horse as young girls, and were raped by him starting when they were teenagers, according to court records.
He is also facing charges in U.S. federal court, and warrants charging him with sexual assault have been issued by the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana and by Canadian authorities.
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