January 20, 2009 | David Wallace | Comments 0
An Amsterdam claimed his lobster was bad, but deputies said it was all a shell game. Now he faces criminal charges because he tried to return the “empty” crustacean to grocery store and shoplifted in the process.
Walter U. Tessier 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.
Store workers were about to allow him to trade the lobster, which he paid $10.99 for, in exchange for a 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, Tessier 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.
Mr. Tessier was charged with petit larceny and given an appearance ticket to return to court at a later date.
Original story found at Times Union.
