HOUSTON — Richard Collins, whose Harris County criminal court records span nearly five decades, threatened members of the media in a courthouse hallway before a scheduled court hearing, telling them to “watch your ass.”

The encounter occurred before Collins entered the courtroom for the hearing. The remarks were directed at members of the media covering the proceedings.

According to Harris County court records, Collins has been the subject of criminal cases dating back to 1976. Those records include charges of murder, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary with intent to commit theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, felony possession of a weapon, credit card fraud, terroristic threat involving a family or household member, and two aggravated sexual assault cases involving a victim 65 years of age or older that were filed in 2024.

Court records show the 2019 terroristic threat case and both aggravated sexual assault cases filed in 2024 were dismissed. The remaining older felony cases were previously resolved through the court system.

The current court proceeding is separate from those previously resolved criminal cases. Additional information from the hearing will be added as it becomes available.