LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A choose will permit testimony from three girls who mentioned Nathan Chasing Horse sexually abused them after they have been youngsters within the trial towards him, although two of them usually are not named as victims in his present case.
In courtroom Wednesday, Clark County District Courtroom Choose Jessica Peterson defined the testimony could display a sample by Chasing Horse and can present the jury with a greater understanding of the case.
Melissa Leone, the mom of an alleged sufferer within the present case, attended the listening to.
“It’s a victory,” Leone advised the 8 Information Now Investigators. “It’s a great win.”
The “Dances with Wolves” actor is scheduled to go on trial in April. A Clark County grand jury indicted Chasing Horse in October for 21 felony prices together with 10 counts of sexual assault with a minor underneath 16 years of age, six counts of sexual assault, two counts of possession of visible presentation depicting sexual conduct of a kid, and one depend every of use of a minor underneath the age of 14 in producing pornography, open or gross lewdness and first-degree kidnapping of a minor.
One cost dates again to 2010, in keeping with courtroom paperwork.
Chasing Horse, 48, appeared in entrance of Peterson Wednesday morning. Chief Deputy District Legal professional William “Billy” Rowles argued permitting the testimony from the three girls demonstrated a sample of Chasing Horse utilizing his standing as a “Medicine Man” to achieve entry to underage women and sexually abuse them.
Legal protection lawyer Craig Mueller argued towards it, declaring Chasing Horse was by no means charged in reference to the claims and the allegations have been by no means confirmed in courtroom.
Peterson identified Nevada state legislation permits the courtroom to confess proof of different prior dangerous acts particularly in intercourse crimes instances.
A number of women and girls beforehand reported that Nathan Chasing Horse sexually abused them for practically twenty years, however their stories didn’t lead to legal prices.
In a movement to confess proof of different crimes filed by the district lawyer’s workplace on Dec. 12, prosecutors detailed the allegations from the extra alleged victims and included police stories.
“The defendant has groomed young women for at least over two decades and now starting as early as 2002/2003,” prosecutors wrote.
One girl met Chasing Horse when she was 13 or 14 years previous at a ceremony in Montana and considered him as an uncle, in keeping with the movement. Chasing Horse advised her he “wanted more,” the movement said.
When she was 15 years previous, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her and advised her to not inform anybody, in keeping with the movement. She believed if she advised somebody what occurred, dangerous issues would occur to her household due to Chasing Horse’s place as a ‘Medication Man,’ the movement said.
One other girl met Chasing Horse when she was 13 years previous and in a remedy middle in Montana in 2003, in keeping with the movement. Chasing Horse had approached her, requested her how previous she was and requested for her deal with to go to her, the movement said.
Three months later, Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her a minimum of 3 times, in keeping with the movement.
“Both incidents reflect another example of [the] defendant using his position in the community to gain access to young children, befriend them and their families, isolate them, and take advantage of them sexually,” the movement said.
Prosecutors additionally included a report from the North Las Vegas police division from 2015, after one girl who’s now recognized as a sufferer within the indictment, first got here ahead.
The division closed the case citing that the 19-year-old girl “had come to North Las Vegas of her own free will to meet a male that she said had sexually assaulted her, and because during the sexual incident did not say no, push away, yell or run away, I found that I did not believe it could be prosecuted in court.”
This was regardless of the division studying from the Meade County Sheriff’s workplace in Sturgus, South Dakota, that there have been earlier allegations towards Chasing Horse of an identical nature.
“Deputy Bostrom had gotten information that Chasing Horse may have sexually assaulted other females from Canada while at Bear Butte South Dakota” the report said. “He spoke to Officer Fox of the Tsuu T’ina National Police Department and found that 3 females had reported sexual assault reports against Chasing Horse in Canada.”
The report additionally referred to Chasing Horse’s earlier arrests in 1995 and 1996 in South Dakota for theft, obstructing and eluding police and “priors for not paying child support in Montana.”
Prosecutors mentioned they’ve proof together with video of Chasing Horse sexually assaulting an underage lady. That lady was later thought-about to be certainly one of Chasing Horse’s ‘wives,’ and is now an grownup. Makes an attempt to speak to the girl have been unsuccessful as legislation enforcement has been met with hostility from her household, in keeping with testimony.
Police arrested Chasing Horse at his North Las Vegas house on Jan. 31, 2023.
The Las Vegas case is the primary of a number of to maneuver ahead towards Chasing Horse after Corena Leona-Lacroix, now recognized as a sufferer within the indictment, spoke out.
Leone-Lacroix, who beforehand shared her story with the 8 Information Now Investigators, testified she first met Chasing Horse as a baby and on the age of 14, turned to him to assist remedy her mom’s most cancers. She mentioned this was when Chasing Horse first sexually assaulted her.
“He said that it’s what the spirits had wanted, that that was the price of helping my mom,” she mentioned.
Leone-Lacroix mentioned Chasing Horse repeatedly sexually assaulted her when she was underage. She mentioned she finally moved in with Chasing Horse and have become a ‘spouse.’ She described abuse inside the house.
In 2019, Leone-Lacroix mentioned she arrange a Tinder profile which Chasing Horse later found. She testified he punished her.
“He had said that since I had wanted to be with other men so badly that he could make that happen and that that could be a way I could repay the betrayal that I had done by serving other men and being a vessel by letting men have sex with me. He said that the rules were though that I was not allowed to see them so I would be wearing a blindfold. I was not allowed to say anything and I was not allowed to move or touch them in return,” she mentioned. “I was just supposed to lay there and allow it to happen and that would be a way I could pay back my betrayal.”
She testified this occurred a number of instances, each at Las Vegas accommodations and inside a house.
The second girl, who beforehand got here ahead to North Las Vegas police, testified Chasing Horse sexually assaulted her after which gave her a capsule. She mentioned she later developed an ectopic being pregnant.
Leone-LaCroix additionally testified she was given a capsule after the primary alleged sexual assault after which Chasing Horse put her on contraception.
Chasing Horse’s followers have been thought-about members of “The Circle.”
Chasing Horse was beforehand charged with 18 counts in Clark County District Courtroom in reference to alleged sexual abuse towards two of the three girls within the present case.
The Nevada Supreme Courtroom dismissed the earlier indictment in a Sept. 26 order and mentioned prosecutors mustn’t have outlined “grooming” to the grand jury. Clark County District Legal professional Steve Wolfson instantly advised the 8 Information Now Investigators that prosecutors would search one other indictment towards Chasing Horse inside weeks and would “follow the dictates” of Nevada’s excessive courtroom. The order allowed prosecutors to retry Chasing Horse.
Chasing Horse faces warrants in Montana and Canada. He has additionally beforehand been banned from a number of reservations. Chasing Horse is a “Rosebud Sioux Indian, Lakota Tribe,” in keeping with an arrest report.
Chasing Horse was beforehand represented by the Clark County Public Defender’s workplace.
8 Information Now Investigator Vanessa Murphy will be reached at [email protected].
To contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline, name 1-800-656-4673.
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Author : LasVegasNews
Publish date : 2025-01-30 12:45:20
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