By Staff Reports.

The Clemson University police department has released images showing a man trying to break the protective casing protecting Howard’s Rock.

The glass case was damaged around 6 a.m. Wednesday by an unknown person. But black-and-white surveillance images show a man pulling up in a pickup truck, then using a rod to hit the sides of the case. The person then left the scene.

Construction crews who were doing renovations to Memorial Stadium noticed the damage when they came to work on Wednesday.

The suspect, according to Clemson University Police chief Johnson Link, is a black man, light in complexion and is about 6-foot-2 and weighs somewhere between 230 and 250 pounds. He was wearing a navy blue jacket, blue jeans, work boots, and gloves with reflective material on the knuckles and back of the hand. The truck he was in appears to be similar to a Ford Ranger.

Anyone with information should call Clemson police at 864-656-2222 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Clemson has since removed the rock and its pedestal from the east end zone of the stadium to a secure location until a new case is available.

“Howard’s Rock is a very important and visible part of our campus and our stadium, and we know many students, alumni and fans come too see it throughout the year,” Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said in a news release on Thursday. “We’ll work to quickly have it back in its home and available for all to see as quickly as possible.”

This is the second time in less than two years that someone has attempted to do harm to Howard’s Rock, which was first placed at the top of Clemson’s east end zone in 1966. In 2013, three men were arrested in the case and Micah Rogers, 20, of Pisgah Forest, North Carolina was charged with the crime after allegedly breaking off a piece of the rock.

Just last month, the case against Mr. Rogers was upgraded to to Grand Larceny and Malicious Injury to Property, value over $10,000. The higher charges carry a potential sentence of 10 years in prison for a maximum sentence of 20 years. Rogers’s father, Michael Rogers, 46, and Alden James Gianey, 17, of Brevard, N.C. also faces charges in the June 2013 crime.

The protective glass case was put around the rock following the vandalism of the rock that took place back in June of 2013.