A judge gave “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse a prison sentence of 37 years to life on Monday after jurors found him guilty of sexual assault at a January trial.
Chasing Horse, who played Smiles a Lot in the 1990 movie, promoted himself as a “medicine man” and committed crimes in the U.S. and Canada while running The Circle, a cult with up to 350 followers at its height, according to authorities.
Jurors found Chasing Horse, 49, guilty on 13 counts and not guilty on eight other counts. Prosecutors said he faced a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Multiple victims testified during the trial that Chasing Horse used their spiritual traditions to victimize them.
The jury returned a guilty verdict on at least one count for each of the three victims who were the basis for the charges he faced.
Jurors found him guilty of multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor under 16, a count of open and gross lewdness, a count of sexual assault and a child sexual abuse material count. But they returned not guilty verdicts on other child sexual abuse material and sexual assault counts as well as a count of kidnapping of a minor.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com.
