Nevada Jury Convicts Nathan Chasing Horse On 13 Sexual Assault Counts
Las Vegas jury convicts Nathan Chasing Horse on 13 counts; he faces a minimum of 25 years and is scheduled for sentencing March 11, 2026.
Overview
A Clark County jury in Las Vegas convicted Nathan Chasing Horse, 49, on 13 of 21 charges of sexual assault, including counts tied to a victim who was 14 when the assaults began, court records show.
The verdict caps a yearslong prosecution that prosecutors said alleged Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls, producing national attention in Indian Country.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement he hoped the victims could find peace, while defense attorney Craig Mueller said he will seek a new trial and described himself as "confused and disappointed," court filings show.
Chasing Horse faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and has sentencing scheduled for March 11, 2026, and he also faces separate sex-crime charges in other U.S. states and in British Columbia, prosecutors confirmed.
British Columbia prosecutors said they will assess whether to pursue charges after Chasing Horse is sentenced and any U.S. appeals conclude, and the main accuser declined to comment as victims and supporters reacted outside the courtroom, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as criminal exploitation and community harm by emphasizing impact ('shock waves through Indian Country') and broader context (an 'epidemic' of violence), prioritizing prosecutorial and victim perspectives while including defense remarks as counterpoints. Direct allegations and prosecutor quotes are presented as source content, not editorial assertions.