Dispute at Salem's ‘Bewitched' statue turns violent, person hit with stun gun

A verbal dispute at the famous “Bewitched” statue in Salem, Massachusetts, on Tuesday night turned violent when a man hit another man with a stun gun during an argument, police say.

Salem police said they saw two groups of people engaged in a verbal argument near the “Bewitched” statue in Townhouse Square around 8:41 p.m. Tuesday. Officers said one group was preaching, and members of the other group were expressing their disagreement with the message.

The argument subsided after the group of preachers crossed the street. Police were then approached by a person who said that he disagreed with the message that was being delivered and had voiced his concerns to the group. The person didn’t elaborate on what he said, but he said a man from the other group took out a stun gun and hit him with it twice. The person described being “zapped” and said he feared for his safety.

Officers also spoke with a witness who helped corroborate that report. A short time later, police said they found a man matching the description provided by the victim, and he was found to be in possession of two stun guns.

The man, identified by police as 46-year-old Paul Selby, of Mogadore, Ohio, was arrested and will be charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of carrying a firearm without a license. Under Massachusetts law, a stun gun is classified as a firearm.

The life-sized statue in downtown Salem depicts “Bewitched” actress Elizabeth Montgomery on a broom, flying in front of a crescent moon. It has become a major tourist draw since it’s installment in 2005.