RUGBY (AP) - Two prison guards accused of smuggling in saw blades to help three federal inmates escape a regional prison are being held without bail, the county prosecutor says.

The escape attempt was foiled when a search on Wednesday turned up the blades, said Elaine Little, the administrator of the North Central Correctional and Rehabilitation Center. She said the prisoners tried to remove a window, but it was too secure for them to do more than damage some caulking.

Correctional officers Becky Willison, 29, and Keri Brandt, 20, appeared Friday before Judge John McClintock Jr., who ordered them held without bail, said Pierce County State's Attorney Galen Mack.

"We are still gathering information and reports," Mack said. The charges are still being formalized, he said, but they likely will include unlawful delivery of property into a correctional center and giving false information to law enforcement officers.

The two women were jailed in Devils Lake.

Little said she would not discuss details of how the escape attempt was uncovered, for security reasons.

"The staff did a great job in handling the situation, and we're very pleased that no one was hurt and that we were able to stop the escape," Little said. "At the same time, we're very disappointed and upset that two officers would put others in danger."

Prison officials identified the inmates who tried to escape as Gabriel Martinez, 29, his brother Ramon, 31, and Michael Wright, 21, who have been at the Rugby prison since about the first of the year.

The Martinez brothers are facing charges in Operation Speed Racer, a major eastern North Dakota drug case that federal officials say led to the killing of Lee Avila, 28, of East Grand Forks, Minn. Gabriel Martinez is facing a murder charge and his brother is charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Officials said Wright had reached a plea agreement on a number of charges, including possession of stolen property.

The Rugby prison and treatment center opened last September. It has room for 80 prison inmates and 40 beds for drug treatment. Its current inmate population totals about 70, Little said. It has a staff of about 35.

Willison had worked at the Rugby facility since July 2006 and Brandt since May 2007, Little said.

U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley called the escape attempt a "matter of serious concern for public safety."

Traill County Sheriff Mike Crocker said Willison had worked at the county jail in Hillsboro as a dispatcher and jailer from 2000 to 2005, and he was shocked to hear of her arrest.

"We already do a compete background check and we do excellent training," Little said. "These were just two officers that made some very bad decisions."