Man sentenced in Howard’s Rock vandalism case

PICKENS Jurors in the trial of Micah Rogers returned a split verdict on Thursday, finding that he damaged Howard’s Rock or its case but did not take away anything of significant value.

After nearly five hours of deliberation and a near-stalemate, the jurors found Rogers, 20, guilty of malicious destruction of property worth less than $2,000 but not guilty of grand larceny.

He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and $1,000 fine but will not have to serve the jail time if he completes 25 days of community service. He is expected to do his community service on Saturdays.

The rock, a piece of quartz revered for nearly five decades by fans of Clemson University’s football team, was broken in June 2013. A brick-sized chunk was taken and has never been found.

The missing piece of rock is valued between $32,500 and $65,000 as a chunk or as much as $132,000 if cut into small pieces, according to an Antiques Roadshow expert who testified earlier this week. But defense attorney Frank Eppes argued that the football team and the fans still get the same amount of pleasure out of the remaining rock, so the only damage was a $500 protective casing.

Rogers, along with two friends, went to the university shortly before midnight July 2, 2013. Surveillance video shows him parking his white pickup, with a big Clemson tiger paw sticker, near the rock.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 6:24 PM.