‘The Sassy Trucker’ is detained in Dubai

A Houston social media influencer and truck driver has been unable to leave Dubai for months following her arrest for allegedly screaming.

Tierra Allen, who lives in Houston and goes by “The Sassy Trucker” on social media, went to Dubai in April 2023 for a vacation but has not been able to leave, according to a news release from Detained in Dubai, a legal advice resource.

Allen, 29, and a friend she was traveling with had been involved in a traffic crash in a rental car and, although she was not injured, the car was impounded with Allen’s credit cards, debit cards and phone inside, according to Detained in Dubai.

Allen’s mother, Tina Baxter, told FOX 26 Allen had an argument with a male employee at the car rental firm, which is what led to her arrest. Allen was trying to get back her personal items when she allegedly yelled back at an employee of the rental car business, according to Baxter.

Allen purportedly was detained for “screaming.”

Her passport reportedly has been taken away, barring her from exiting the country, according to an article from Newsweek.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, has been speaking with both Allen and Baxter. Baxter reached out to Stirling a few weeks ago, seeking help for her daughter’s case.

“If she’s prosecuted, she faces potentially up to two years in prison, deportation and a hefty fine,” Stirling said.

Stirling said Allen was being forced to stay in Dubai while authorities decide whether to prosecute her and she’s not allowed to work or travel until a decision has been made. The friend Allen had been traveling with was still with her as of Monday, Stirling said, and the friend plans to stay with Allen until she can leave.

“I’ve been so distressed over this situation and praying for her to come home. She’s always been the most happy, upbeat and energetic lady and it’s overwhelming to see her depressed and frightened,” Baxter told Detained in Dubai.

Authorities had not decided if they would prosecute Allen as of Monday, Stirling said. She said if charges are officially filed and the case goes to court, it could then take months to just get a hearing.

“Tierra has been really worried, obviously,” Stirling said. “She hasn’t known what the outcome is going to be, whether she’s going to be stuck there for months pending a court case because even if she was found innocent in the end, that whole court process can take 4, 6 months, maybe even longer.”

Stirling said she has contacted the agents who made the complaint against Allen and asked them to withdraw it, along with asking the Dubai police to cancel the case.

This strategy sometimes works, Stirling said, since the situation has the potential to cast the country’s tourism industry in a negative light. However, she said in Allen’s case she has not received a response from law enforcement.

Stirling said the case against Allen also could be dropped if she offers to pay money, but Stirling was not privy to the amount.

Allen, originally from California, has a social media following and posts about her life as a truck driver. On social media, she is “The Sassy Trucker,” and has more than 180,000 followers on TikTok. She was featured in a CNN article in 2021 about her TikTok account and her role as a woman in trucking, saying she knew she wanted to become a trucker since she was a teen and she enrolled in truck driving school at age 18.

Allen has been advised by her legal representative not to speak about the ongoing situation, according to Baxter.