WORCESTER, Vt. (InvestigateTV) – In rural Vermont, where cell service can be nonexistent, residents are finding an unexpected solution to communication challenges: old-school pay phones.

Patrick Schlott, an electrical engineer and native of Vermont, has begun installing modified vintage pay phones in public spaces like libraries and town halls. These phones, part of his “Ran-tel” cooperative—short for the Randolph public telephone operating company—allow users to make free calls anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, with no coins or cards required.

“It’s just for anyone who needs to make a phone call,” Schlott said.

The idea was inspired by similar projects in cities like Philadelphia and Portland, Oregon.

Schlott, who has a passion for old technology, realized he could give back to his community by repurposing the equipment.

The phones are wired to run on free public Wi-Fi, which is why they are free to use.

For residents like Roger Strobridge in Worcester, the phones are a critical safety measure in an area where cell service is unreliable, particularly during harsh winters.

“I personally look at this pay phone that’s being installed as our answer to cell service and cell towers,” Strobridge said.

While the project started as a hobby, Schlott is already expanding, with a goal to have at least one Ran-tel phone in each of Vermont’s 14 counties.

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Updated at 5:34 p.m.

Grand Isle County’s top prosecutor Douglas DiSabito was cited Tuesday for drunken driving after he was allegedly intoxicated in a St. Albans courthouse, according to the St. Albans Police Department. 

Police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday alerting officers to respond to Franklin County Superior Court in St. Albans “for a report of a person in the building who may be under the influence of alcohol,” according to a department press release. 

Officers then made contact with Grand Isle County State’s Attorney DiSabito and after “subsequent investigation” arrested him for driving under the influence of alcohol, the release said. 

DiSabito is set to appear in court on May 4, according to the release.

The 57-year-old from Alburgh was first elected to lead the prosecutor’s office in 2014 and has won re-election without facing challengers in every election since then, according to the Vermont Secretary of State’s website. DiSabito has said he is running again for re-election in November. Earlier this week he said he would seek both Democratic and Republican nominations, according to WCAX. 

DiSabito recently said he wanted the state to pass stricter bail laws, and he thinks the judiciary isn’t doing enough to combat what he sees as a lack of respect for judicial proceedings, according to the Bennington Banner. 

“It’s unfortunate for Grand Isle and for law enforcement,” said Gov. Phil Scott at his weekly press conference Wednesday. 

DiSabito did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. 

Tim Lueders-Dumont, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said his department is standing ready to support the county, though he was not yet sure if anyone would take over some of DiSabito’s cases.

“He’s still state’s attorney, he still has his law license,” Lueders-Dumont said. 

Lueders-Dumont said he didn’t know which prosecutor would bring the drunken driving case against DiSabito. He declined to comment on the arrest, saying the department doesn’t comment on ongoing criminal matters. 

DiSabito’s arrest comes two years after a state prosecutor in Addison County was similarly arrested for drunken driving.