1
00:00:00,740 --> 00:00:05,173
The comedy4cast Network.
Let's dog-ear that for now.

2
00:00:05,174 --> 00:00:08,190
♪ "ID JINGLE" ENDS  ♪

3
00:00:08,191 --> 00:00:14,178
This is comedy4cast,
episode 877, The Bear Facts.

4
00:00:14,179 --> 00:00:19,498
It's time once again for the August
Dog Days of Podcasting Challenge.

5
00:00:19,499 --> 00:00:23,936
For more information and to
hear shows from all the participants,

6
00:00:23,937 --> 00:00:27,512
go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.

7
00:00:27,513 --> 00:00:32,358
comedy4cast is taking this time to 
provide you with some interesting yet

8
00:00:32,359 --> 00:00:39,463
totally useless odd news. In fact, 2 Odd News
stories that we think deserve each other.

9
00:00:39,464 --> 00:00:44,984
So, let's have some fun
with Odd News Times Twos.

10
00:00:44,985 --> 00:00:46,804
♪ "OPENING THEME" ENDS ♪

11
00:00:46,805 --> 00:00:50,602
For our first story, we're off
to Tenancingo, Mexico.

12
00:00:50,603 --> 00:00:52,296
[ ELECTRONIC WHOOSH ]

13
00:00:52,297 --> 00:00:56,796
This is the home of Mayor Nancy Nápoles.
She should be home any minute.

14
00:00:56,797 --> 00:00:58,983
Oh, here comes her car now.

15
00:00:58,984 --> 00:01:02,908
I see her mother is with her,
and her sister was driving. Well,

16
00:01:02,909 --> 00:01:06,869
I guess chauffeuring would be more
appropriate since she's driving the…

17
00:01:06,870 --> 00:01:11,440
Hang on. Where did those people come from?
They're forcing the mayor into that car.

18
00:01:11,441 --> 00:01:13,032
[ CAR SPEEDS AWAY ]

19
00:01:13,033 --> 00:01:17,519
I apologize. I had no idea we'd witness
an actual kidnapping today.

20
00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,663
This is... it's disturbing.

21
00:01:19,664 --> 00:01:24,828
Let's let the police handle this for now.
I'll whisk us off to our second story

22
00:01:24,829 --> 00:01:26,722
at Lake Arrowhead, California.

23
00:01:26,723 --> 00:01:28,001
[ ELECTRONIC WHOOSH ]

24
00:01:28,002 --> 00:01:31,694
Let's try to clear our heads
and see what's going on here.

25
00:01:31,695 --> 00:01:37,488
Oh, someone appears to have left their
Rolls-Royce ghost parked with the window open.

26
00:01:37,489 --> 00:01:40,666
They should know better.
Thieves could easily...

27
00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,820
Wait, is that a bear?
It's getting into the car.

28
00:01:43,821 --> 00:01:45,079
[ RIPPING ]

29
00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,972
Ooh, that's going to leave a mark.

30
00:01:46,973 --> 00:01:50,876
Or several. Well, at least the
Mercedes-Benz over there will be fine.

31
00:01:50,877 --> 00:01:52,034
[ RIPPING ]

32
00:01:52,035 --> 00:01:54,210
Ooh!  but that other Mercedes
should be...

33
00:01:54,211 --> 00:01:55,303
[ RIPPING ]

34
00:01:55,304 --> 00:02:01,549
No! Oh, my apologies again.
That's two horrible incidents in one day.

35
00:02:01,550 --> 00:02:05,909
Or four if you count each car 
eparately. Anyway, days later,

36
00:02:05,910 --> 00:02:10,610
insurance claims were filed. Fortunately,
there was security footage submitted.

37
00:02:10,611 --> 00:02:12,955
That should help. It sure did.

38
00:02:12,956 --> 00:02:16,789
The insurance company shared the footage
with a California Department of Fish

39
00:02:16,790 --> 00:02:18,423
and Wildlife biologist.

40
00:02:18,424 --> 00:02:22,771
After all, if there's a bear out there
doing damage, something should be done.

41
00:02:22,772 --> 00:02:29,547
The problem is, the biologist reviewed the
footage and said that clearly wasn't a bear.

42
00:02:29,548 --> 00:02:35,334
It was a person in a bear suit.
And no, I don't mean they were naked.

43
00:02:35,335 --> 00:02:37,429
After executing a search warrant,

44
00:02:37,430 --> 00:02:41,957
detectives found the bear costume
right there in the suspect's home.

45
00:02:41,958 --> 00:02:44,434
Which probably means it wasn't a rental.

46
00:02:44,435 --> 00:02:49,359
Makes you wonder. An investigation concluded
that the group staged attacks to

47
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:54,784
solicit nearly $142,000 
from insurance providers.

48
00:02:54,785 --> 00:02:59,479
And the three people involved have since
been sentenced to two years of probation

49
00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,091
and 180 days in a weekend jail program.

50
00:03:03,092 --> 00:03:05,826
No word on the whereabouts of the bear suit.

51
00:03:05,827 --> 00:03:09,839
Now, I'm sure you're as anxious as I am
to find out if Mayor Nancy Nápoles is

52
00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,083
okay. So back to Tenancinco, Mexico.

53
00:03:13,084 --> 00:03:14,701
[ ELECTRONIC WHOOSH ]

54
00:03:14,702 --> 00:03:19,742
Ah, there's the mayor. Safe and sound,
thank goodness. I see that she's in court.

55
00:03:19,743 --> 00:03:24,558
To testify as a witness, no doubt.
No, she seems to be a defendant.

56
00:03:24,559 --> 00:03:29,000
What is going on? Actually, if they
don't turn this one into a movie,

57
00:03:29,001 --> 00:03:30,839
Hollywood is missing out.

58
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:31,886
Here's a rundown

59
00:03:31,887 --> 00:03:36,490
based on information from the Attorney
General's Office of the State of Mexico.

60
00:03:36,491 --> 00:03:41,295
Nápoles was sworn in as mayor
in late 2024. Allegedly,

61
00:03:41,296 --> 00:03:47,130
while in office, she coordinated an
embezzlement scheme resulting in a municipal

62
00:03:47,131 --> 00:03:53,379
shortfall of 20 million Mexican pesos,
roughly $1.2 million U.S.

63
00:03:53,380 --> 00:03:58,512
Fast forward to a little more than
a year later, January of 2026.

64
00:03:58,513 --> 00:04:02,610
Mayor Nápoles' husband and her
brother-in-law came up with a plan.

65
00:04:02,611 --> 00:04:06,437
Cover up the deficit by
simulating Nápoles' kidnapping

66
00:04:06,438 --> 00:04:09,650
and demand a ransom
of 40 million pesos.

67
00:04:09,651 --> 00:04:13,250
Which would come from the municipal treasury.
The brother-in-law spoke with

68
00:04:13,251 --> 00:04:18,150
a friend of his and offered him a
half a million pesos to help with the plan.

69
00:04:18,151 --> 00:04:22,305
The friend agreed, then turned around
and invited his girlfriend into the scheme.

70
00:04:22,306 --> 00:04:26,142
Oh, and his girlfriend's brother, too.
Because, oh, heck, why not?

71
00:04:26,143 --> 00:04:30,300
That brings us up to where we came in.
The girlfriend and her brother pretended

72
00:04:30,301 --> 00:04:32,307
to forcibly kidnap the mayor.

73
00:04:32,308 --> 00:04:37,720
Making their escape, Nápoles allegedly
directed her captors along specific routes

74
00:04:37,721 --> 00:04:39,549
to avoid security cameras.

75
00:04:39,550 --> 00:04:43,780
Unfortunately, the rest of Nápoles' family
wasn't in on any of this,

76
00:04:43,781 --> 00:04:48,895
and quite reasonably, they called the police,
sparking a massive search for the mayor.

77
00:04:48,896 --> 00:04:53,612
Realizing everything was getting 
out of control — a little late for that —

78
00:04:53,613 --> 00:04:57,788
Nápoles instructed the driver
to drop her off on a dirt road.

79
00:04:57,789 --> 00:05:02,786
Nápoles contacted authorities,
claiming she escaped her armed captors.

80
00:05:02,787 --> 00:05:07,534
She was rescued by her husband and
the municipal public security director.

81
00:05:07,535 --> 00:05:12,028
Within days, police traced and
arrested the friend, girlfriend,

82
00:05:12,029 --> 00:05:16,015
and her brother at a hotel where they
had been hiding since the kidnapping.

83
00:05:16,016 --> 00:05:18,849
And arrest warrants were issued
for the mayor's husband

84
00:05:18,850 --> 00:05:21,896
and brother-in-law, who became fugitives.

85
00:05:21,897 --> 00:05:27,411
Meanwhile, Mayor Nápoles released a
video message denying all accusations,

86
00:05:27,412 --> 00:05:31,948
claiming government officials orchestrated
a setup. She publicly invited officials

87
00:05:31,949 --> 00:05:35,601
to audit Tenancinco
to prove its financial health.

88
00:05:35,602 --> 00:05:41,641
In early July of 2026, following a
hearing that lasted over 10 hours,

89
00:05:41,642 --> 00:05:46,638
a state of Mexico judge officially linked
Nancy Nápoles to criminal trial proceedings

90
00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:48,888
for kidnapping simulation.

91
00:05:48,889 --> 00:05:53,526
And scene. So what did we learn today?

92
00:05:53,527 --> 00:05:57,566
If you're sitting around and
think up a plan that's dangerous,

93
00:05:57,567 --> 00:06:01,380
stupid, and illegal, congratulations!

94
00:06:01,381 --> 00:06:06,005
You've hit the center of the
"Don't Do It!" Venn Diagram.

95
00:06:06,006 --> 00:06:08,016
♪ "End Theme" in and under ♪

96
00:06:08,017 --> 00:06:11,748
That about wraps it up for
today's Odd News Times Twos.

97
00:06:11,749 --> 00:06:17,481
But first, a very special shout-out to my
Patreon patrons, including producer-level

98
00:06:17,482 --> 00:06:23,225
patrons Paul Barrie from the A Window to the
Magic podcast, Kirby Bartlett-Sloan,

99
00:06:23,226 --> 00:06:29,688
Chuck Tomasi from the Technorama podcast,
Kyle Nishioka, Brian Martsolf, Amy Murphy,

100
00:06:29,689 --> 00:06:33,824
and Steve Ng from steveng5.com.

101
00:06:33,825 --> 00:06:38,784
That's S-T-E-V-E-N-G, the number 5, dot com.

102
00:06:38,785 --> 00:06:42,869
You too can show your support.
Just search for comedy4cast,

103
00:06:42,870 --> 00:06:47,965
all one word with the number 4,
on Patreon.com. Original script,

104
00:06:47,966 --> 00:06:53,480
voices, and original music by me,
Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2026.

105
00:06:53,481 --> 00:06:57,481
All rights reserved. Talk to you
again next time. But for now,

106
00:06:57,482 --> 00:07:00,830
that's it. We're done, done,
done, done, done. Bye-bye.