A star of the Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting young indigenous girls in the US.
Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, who goes by Nathan Chasing Horse, allegedly committed the offences across a period spanning two decades, according to police records.
He is also believed to be the leader of a cult known as The Circle, according to a 50-page search warrant, obtained by the AP news agency.
The 46-year-old actor, best known for his role as the young Sioux tribe member Smiles A Lot in the 1999 Kevin Costner film, was arrested near the North Las Vegas home he is said to share with his five wives.
A police SWAT unit was seen outside the property on Tuesday evening as detectives searched inside.
Following his appearance in Dances With Wolves, Chasing Horse gained a reputation among tribes across the United States and in Canada as a so-called medicine man who performed healing ceremonies and spiritual gatherings.
Police allege that he used his position to abuse young Native American girls.
According to the warrant, Las Vegas police have identified at least six alleged victims and uncovered sexual allegations against Chasing Horse.
The allegations date back to the early 2000s in multiple states, including Montana, South Dakota and Nevada, where he has lived for about a decade.
Although the warrant includes details of crimes reported elsewhere, the arrest stems from crimes allegedly committed in Nevada’s Clark County.
They include sex trafficking, sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and child abuse, while some of the alleged victims were as young as 13, according to the warrant.
One of Chasing Horse’s wives was allegedly offered to him as a “gift” when she was 15, while another became a wife after turning 16.
Chasing Horse is also accused of recording sexual assaults and arranging sex with the victims for other men who allegedly paid him.
According to the warrant, Chasing Horse was banished in 2015 from the Fort Peck Reservation in Poplar, Montana, after allegations of human trafficking.
There was no lawyer listed in court records for Chasing Horse who could comment on his behalf as of Tuesday evening.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.
