Alberta charges pending against Dances With Wolves actor banned from Tsuut'ina Nation
Warning: This story deals with allegations of sexual assault
The Dances With Wolves actor facing sexual assault charges in B.C. and Nevada is now accused of similar offences in Alberta.
The Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service confirm sexual offence-related charges are pending against Nathan Chasing Horse, who is accused of targeting Indigenous women and girls over a span of two decades.
Sgt. Nancy Farmer says Chasing Horse, 46, was already banned from Tsuut'ina Nation territory.
Farmer says that after speaking with several victims and witnesses "in relation to the actions of Mr. Chasing Horse," police are in the process of applying for arrest warrants. Those are expected to be executed later this week.
Medicine man role used in alleged offences
Police in the United States allege Chasing Horse abused his position as a medicine man and took underage wives over two decades in multiple states, including South Dakota, Montana and Nevada, where he has resided for about a decade, the Associated Press reported.
Tsuut'ina police confirmed Chasing Horse attended powwows in Alberta and across Canada, billing himself as a medicine man.
"What happened to these women is kind of all a part of ceremony, traditional ceremony, where they put their trust into someone who deemed himself to be a medicine man and then were betrayed," said Farmer.
Police also confirmed on Tuesday that Chasing Horse has been banned from Tsuut'ina since 2015 under a BCR (band council resolution), an order by chief and council to maintain peace and order by controlling access to Indigenous lands.
A band can deny access to those who cause disruption, distress or fear to community members.
Chasing Horse is also banned from community events, spiritual practices, powwows and ceremonies in Saskatchewan across its 74 nations.
The Tsuut'ina police worked with Las Vegas police for weeks leading to Chasing Horse's arrest last week.
The 46-year-old actor appeared in the 1990 Kevin Costner movie Dances With Wolves and the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which was shot in Calgary.
B.C. charge laid
On Monday, Chasing Horse was formally charged with eight offences in Nevada, including sex trafficking, child sexual assault and child abuse that date back to 2012.
In British Columbia, RCMP also announced that a warrant has been issued for Chasing Horse's arrest.
He is accused of sexual assault in that province stemming from an incident in September 2018 in the Keremeos area, about 100 kilometres south of Kelowna.
The southern Alberta police service says it has been investigating Chasing Horse's potential connection to historical sexual assaults.
Chasing Horse has been in custody in Las Vegas since his arrest on Jan. 31.
He will next appear in court on Wednesday.
According to an Associated Press report, Chasing Horse was arrested last week at his North Las Vegas home, where he lived with his five wives.
He also was banished in 2015 from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Mont., following similar allegations.
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
