EXCLUSIVE: Police ask commissioners for $250K to offset expenses from Quinton Simon search

IT'S BEEN 16 DAYS SINCE QUINTON SIMON WENT MISSING. IT'S BEEN A LARGE OPERATION ... SINCE THE BEGINNING. AND NOW ... THE COST OF THE INVESTIGATION ... IS STARTING TO PILE UP. OUR ANDY COLE ... JOINS US NOW LIVE ... WITH AN EXCLUSIVE STORY ... YOU'LL ONLY SEE ON WJCL 22. ANDY ... WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. /// GOOD EVENING GREG/SHANNON. AT TODAY'S CHATHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING... THE BOARD APPROVED REALLOCATION OF $250,000 FROM THE SCHOOL ZONE CAMERA FUND TO POLICE TO SUPPORT A QUOTE "ACTIVE LONG TERM INVESTIGATION" WE PRESSED POLICE TO FIND OUT WHAT THAT WAS. WE HAVE LEARNED EXCLUSIVELY THAT THOSE FUNDS ARE GOING TO OFFSET COSTS INCURED BY POLICE OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS WHILE SEARCHING FOR QUINTON. POLICE TOLD US ON THE PHONE QUOTE. "WE'VE NEVER HAD AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS MAGNITUDE IN THE FIVE YEARS OF THIS DEPARTMENT'S EXISTENCE. THOSE FUNDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSES. CHIEF COULD NOT THINK OF A GREATER PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSE THAN SEEKING JUSTICE FOR QUINTON SIMON," CHATHAM COUNTY'S POLICE CHIEF JEFF HADLEY TOLD REPORTERS EARLIER IN THE SEARCH THAT HIS DETECTIVES HAVEN'T STOPPED WORKING ON THIS CASE SINCE DAY 1. TODAY... WE MARKED 16 DAYS SINCE QUINTON WENT MISSING. THOSE HOURS ADD UP. THEY'RE TIRED, BUT THEY'RE DETERMINED. AND I COULDN'T BE ANY PROUDER OF THEM. THEY HAVE WORKED 18 HOUR DAYS SINCE LAST WEDNESDAY MORNING CCPD SAID TODAY THAT THE EXPERT SEARCHERS WILL TAKE THE WEEKEND OFF... THEY TWEETED THIS AFTERNOON QUOTE... IT IS DANGEROUS & SEARCHERS ARE EXPOSED TO NUMEROUS - AND VERY REAL - HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS EVERY MINUTE THAT THEY ARE WORKING. TO HELP MAINTAIN THE HEALTH OF THE SEARCH TEAM, THEY WILL BE STANDING DOWN FOR TWO DAYS AFTER THEIR LANDFILL SHIFT ENDS POLICE SAID THEY WILL HAVE INVESTIGATORS CONDUCTING NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS AND CONTINUING TO WORK ANDY -- BACK TO THAT QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS POLICE NOW HAVE ... HOW WILL IT BE SPENT? THAT'S ONE THING POLICE WOULDN'T SAY. COUNTY DOCUMENTS WE REVIEWED SAY THAT THE FUNDS WILL BE APPLIED TO A SALARY AND OPERATIONAL ACCOUNT. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS UNANANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE ACTION ITEM. GREG/SHANNON? ANDY THANKS. NOW TO A TROUBLING TREND. TONIGHT ... A SAVANNAH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ... IS RUNNING OUT OF BEDS. DOCTORS SAY IT'S ALL DUE TO A RISE IN RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES .. BEING SEEN ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR BROOKE BUTLER JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM THE NEWSROOM. AND BROOKE, DOCTORS TELL YOU .. IT'S NOT COVID - THAT'S THE PROBLEM. YEAH SHANNON. ITS MAINLY FLU CASES... AND RSV CASES. WE TYPICALLY WOULDN'T SEE THOSE VIRUSES INFECT A LARGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE UNTIL THE WINTER... BUT THIS YEAR - DOCTORS SAW RSV CASES AS EARLY AS JULY... FLU CASES - AS EARLY AS SEPTEMBER. (PKG) 11:34:35 CERTAINLY THIS SEASON HAS BECOME A BIG SEASON FOR RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES :39 CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE OVERWHELMED WITH PATIENTS