AMSTERDAM - A hungry supermarket shopper claimed his lobster was bad, but deputies said it was all a shell game.

Walter U. Tessier, 57, of Division Street walked into the Price Chopper on Saturday with a lobster in hand saying he wanted to return it because ''it was bad,'' Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies said.

Grocers were about to allow Tessier to trade the $10.99 lobster for a $27 bag of king crab legs when they discovered the lobster was all shell. Tessier had eaten it and put the shell parts back together, deputies said.

When confronted, the man with a passion for seafood ran from the store with the bag of crab legs in hand, they said.

Deputies said they caught up with him at his home only to discover that he had already eaten the crab legs, too.

Tessier was charged with petit larceny and given an appearance ticket to return to court at a later date.

Deputies said they caught up with him at his home only to discover that he had already eaten the crab legs, too.