A 27-year-old woman already on felony release is now facing new criminal charges after police allege she was caught with drugs and had previously attempted to escape from the Department of Corrections.

Helen Marie Babauta has been charged with possession of a schedule II controlled substance as a third-degree felony, with an added notice of commission of a felony while on felony release. 

In a separate case, she faces third-degree felony charges of attempted escape and assault on a peace officer.

According to a magistrate’s complaint filed in the Superior Court of Guam, police responded to Erica’s House on July 24 after receiving a report of a woman with suspected drugs. 

Officers found a green pouch containing two syringes and a glass pipe with suspected methamphetamine residue. Field testing later returned a presumptive positive for meth.

Babauta allegedly told police the pouch belonged to a relative and she had absent-mindedly placed it in her backpack. She denied any knowledge or ownership of the items.

Court documents also detail an earlier incident from May 4, 2023, when Babauta allegedly tried to escape from DOC alongside two other female inmates. 

Officers stopped Babauta before she made it onto the roof, but not before she allegedly kicked one of the responding officers and resisted arrest.

All three women had reportedly planned to find an opening in the perimeter fence but were unsuccessful and remained on the roof until DOC personnel brought them down.

Babauta has a pending pretrial matter in connection to her earlier charges.