New documents filed by attorneys for alleged sex predator and cult leader Nathan Chasing Horse reveal some of the defense strategy.
Chasing Horse, 46, is accused of victimizing indigenous girls and women for at least two decades at locations scattered throughout the United States and Canada while he traveled for various ceremonies claiming he was a “medicine man.”
In motions filed by Chasing Horses attorneys, there is an effort to obtain information suggesting someone else was guilty of the crimes Chasing Horse is accused of, to discredit victims, and to uncover information about anyone cooperating with law enforcement, according to reports.
Chasing Horse was indicted by a grand jury in Clark County for 19 charges on February 22, 2023. He was taken into custody after police executed a search of his home in North Las Vegas on January 30, 2023.
Charges state prosecutors filed include 10 counts of sexual assault against a minor under 16-years-old, first degree kidnapping of a minor, open and gross lewdness, and trafficking in a controlled substance.
The motion, filed on March 9, 2023, Chasing Horse is seeking an order for prosecutors to provide discovery materials. He is requesting specific information about anyone who may be cooperating with investigators, along with possible co-conspirators, accessories, or alternative suspects.
Further, he is requesting information about any benefits offered to potential witnesses such as immigration benefits.
Other investigations are mentioned in the motion, including North Las Vegas, South Dakota, and Arizona. He is asking for all information obtained by prosecutors in those cases, reports state.
A petition was filed March 16, 2023, by Chasing Horse’s defense team. He is arguing he is unlawfully detained and claims the prosecutors failed to submit evidence revealing contradictory testimony and that evidence does not exist for probable cause for the indictment.
According to the Las Vegas Metro Police, Chasing Horse was living with several “wives” when he was arrested. Police were later told the women had instructions to use firearms against law enforcement and engage in a shoot-out if authorities tried to “break up the family.” They were also told to commit suicide through ingesting cyanide.
Chasing Horse is the head of an alleged cult known as “The Circle,” police stated.
The motions will be answered on March 29 and April 3, 2023. The trial is still set for April 17, 2023.
In addition to these charges, he is facing charges in multiple jurisdictions. This includes Fort Peck Tribal charges and in Canada. In 2015, the Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board voted to banish Chasing Horse from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation amid concerns of trafficking and intimidation of tribal members.
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