Nevada
Chasing Horse asks state high court to toss sex abuse case
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A “Dances With Wolves” actor charged with sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for more than a decade has asked Nevada’s high court to toss his sweeping indictment in state court.
Nathan Chasing Horse and his lawyers have argued that his accusers wanted to have sex with him.
The 46-year-old’s appeal to the state Supreme Court, filed Tuesday, marks his latest attempt to get his case dismissed as he remains jailed in Las Vegas on charges that could send him to prison for decades — or life — if convicted.
“Nathan is pursuing this extraordinary writ because the trial court refused to dismiss the charges contained within the indictment in this case,” Deputy Clark County Public Defender Kristy S. Holston wrote in an affidavit attached to the formal appeal to the high court.
The presiding judge in the state’s case, Carli Kierny, upheld Chasing Horse’s indictment last month, writing in an order that prosecutors in Clark County presented enough evidence for “a reasonable grand juror to conclude that the sexual assaults occurred.”
His trial had been set to begin May 1, but Kierny put a pause on criminal proceedings indefinitely as Chasing Horse appeals her decision.
“Extraordinary relief is warranted here because Nathan has no plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of the law,” his lawyer wrote in Tuesday’s filing. “The trial court’s rulings have exposed petitioner to criminal liability for legally insufficient charges.”
Chasing Horse, who is known for his work in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning movie, was arrested Jan. 31 in southern Nevada, the culmination of a monthslong investigation by Las Vegas police after receiving a tip from Canadian authorities. He is charged with 18 felonies, including sexual assault of a minor, child abuse and kidnapping.
Since starring in the 1990 film, Chasing Horse had built a name for himself among tribes in the U.S. and Canada as a self-proclaimed medicine man. Authorities have accused him of using that position to lead a cult, gain access to vulnerable Indigenous women and girls, and take underage wives starting in the early 2000s.
His arrest in Nevada stunned Indian Country and helped authorities in other jurisdictions corroborate allegations against him. Chasing Horse also faces criminal charges in Canada, the U.S. District Court in Nevada, and on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.
His lawyers argued Tuesday that, beyond the question of Chasing Horse’s guilt, the appeal presents an opportunity for the high court to clarify confusion in state law regarding definitions of consensual sex and spiritual guidance, among other things.
New York
Companies to pay $615K over fake comments about net neutrality
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Three companies accused of falsifying millions of public comments to support the contentious 2017 federal repeal of net neutrality rules have agreed to pay $615,000 in penalties to New York and other states, New York’s attorney general said Wednesday.
The penalties come after an investigation by the New York state Office of the Attorney General found the fake comments used the identities of millions of consumers, including thousands of New Yorkers, without their knowledge.
“No one should have their identity co-opted by manipulative companies and used to falsely promote a private agenda,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in an announcement Wednesday.
Two of the California-based companies, LCX Digital Media and digital marketing company Lead ID, LLC., were hired by the broadband industry to enroll consumers in a campaign to support repeals to Obama-era net neutrality rules. Instead, they each independently fabricated responses for 1.5 million consumers. The third, marketing company Ifficient Inc., supplied more than 840,000 fake responses.
All three companies provide digital lead-generation services, meaning they collect personal information from consumers and then sell it to third parties for leads to generate business.
Messages left for the three companies were not immediately returned.
The investigation also found the companies worked on other unrelated campaigns to influence public officials and regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.
This is the second series of agreements secured by James with companies that supplied fake comments to the Federal Communications Commission. The nation’s largest broadband companies had funded a campaign to generate more than 8.5 million of fake comments submitted to the FCC, with more than half a million fake letters sent to Congress, her office said.
The FCC, a government agency, is supposed to use the comments it receives, from industry and public-industry groups and the public, to shape how it makes its rules.
Net neutrality is the principle that internet providers treat all web traffic equally, without blocking, slowing down, or giving preference to any content. Regulations for net neutrality were designed to prevent internet service providers like Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Charter from favoring some sites and apps over others.
LCX and its principals will pay $400,000 to New York and $100,000 to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. Lead ID, LLC., and its principal will pay $30,000 to New York. Colorado-based Ifficient Inc. will pay $63,750 to New York and $21,250 to Colorado.
Virginia
Police:Man fatally shot co-worker at hospital following an altercation
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An altercation between two co-workers at a Virginia hospital led to a fatal shooting early Wednesday, police said.
Richmond police said they are working with the VCU Police Department to investigate the shooting at the VCU Medical Center.
Police said in a news release that officers from both departments received an emergency call at about 12:04 a.m. reporting shots fired and an active threat inside the medical center. Officers determined that the two employees had an altercation in a stairwell, which resulted in one of the co-workers shooting the other. Police identified the victim as Ty’Quan White, 25, of Richmond.
Police said the shooting suspect, Christopher Boisseau, 24, of Henrico, was taken into custody and charged with maliciously shooting within a building. They said additional charges are pending. It could not immediately be determined if Boisseau has retained a lawyer to represent him.
VCU police briefly locked down the building. No other injuries were reported.
