MADISON —Two men in custody facing sex related crimes will be facing justice in the coming weeks. However, one of them is likely to face trial on a totally different charge.

Howard Dotson, Jr., 61, was charged in the late 1990’s with a series of sexual misconduct charges in Boone County. When he was released on bond, the man fled. No one heard from the fugitive for over 10 years until last year.

A police officer in Grand Junction, Colorado made a routine traffic stop late at night on a suspected drunk driver. A license check revealed that the man was Howard Dotson Jr., and he was a wanted fugitive.

Within a few months, Dotson was extradited back to West Virginia, where he has languished in the Southwestern Regional Jail since last December 11th while prosecutors decided how to proceed with his case. Prosecutor Keith Randolph finally decided how to proceed last week.

A trial is scheduled for Aug. 25 for Dotson on another charge, felony failure to appear. The man was initially indicted on the charges soon after fleeing the state.

If convicted, this charge could land the elderly man in prison for a term of at least five years.

Court officials believe Randolph is likely to move forward with the child sex charges soon afterward. It is also believed Dotson faces charges of failing to register as a sex offender in Colorado as well as the West Virginia offenses.

Another man who has been facing a litany of child sexual assault charges will be back in court July 13 to determine how the court will proceed.

Johnny Buster Likens, 56, ran a foster care home on U.S. 119 south of Danville for over 20 years before allegations of improper conduct with his charges were filed.

In 2006, Sheriff Rodney Miller arrested Likens on child sexual assault charges.

An over 290 count indictment the following year alleges Likens molested both male and female foster children under his care dating back to the mid-1980s.

The case was undertaken when a former resident of his home came forward to present the allegations.

Soon, other foster children called the Sexual Assault Unit of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department to tell their stories.

Likens has been in the Southwestern Regional Jail ever since while the court ordered numerous mental health examinations for the man.

Meanwhile, Likens has been racking up a jail bill that is believed to soon exceed $80,000 for Boone County taxpayers.

On July 13th, Judge Jay Hoke will reportedly hear a recommendation from mental health professionals as to whether the man is fit to stand trial in Boone County Circuit Court. It is unknown whether Hoke will make a final ruling at that time or take the report under consideration for a decision later this summer.