State police are investigating the death of a Utica man who may have suffered a head injury at the July 19 K-Rockathon concert at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport.

Troopers are looking into the death of James M. Cieri, 20, formerly of Westmoreland, who died July 26 despite his doctors' attempts to relieve brain swelling.

Troopers have been told that Cieri was at the concert but never sought medical attention there.

He passed out hours after leaving the event, officials said.

While officials from Galaxy Communication, which owns the K-Rock radion station, could not be reached for a comment, the K-Rockathon Web site said there were medical facilities on-site at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in case someone needed to be treated for injuries.

But Cieri's death has been one of many incidents that have sparked concerns regarding the event's safety.

Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould said Thursday that he plans to meet with local officials to address problems he says are associated with the annual event.

“I will attempt to set up a meeting with the Brutus, Weedsport and county health officials next week,” Gould said. “I want to reach out to these officials and discuss both past and future K-Rockathon events as far as security and safety concerns go.”

The event, which had 12,000 visitors, is well known among local law enforcement for causing increased crime and medical calls due to drug and alcohol consumption, troopers said. Troopers arrested 10 people for drug and alcohol related incidents at the state thruway's Weedsport interchange, Exit 40, the night of the event.

Officer Greg Gilfus, who is in charge of the Weedsport Police Department, said that on the day of this year's concert village authorities issued 22 tickets, and made one arrest for driving while intoxicated and for operating a vehicle without a license. The Weedsport department generally issues about tickets a day, he said.

Lori DeBois, the deputy administrator of Cayuga County's 911 center, said 300 calls came in the night of the event, a 20 percent increase from a typical evening.

Colleen Jones, a resident who lives near the fairgrounds, was one of the people to call 911 that night.

“It's nothing but a drunk-fest,” Jones said. “We had a car drive on to the railroad tracks and almost get hit by a train. Last year a horse barn burned down. K-Rock was supposed to end at midnight and the barn burned down at 2 a.m. I think it's a little suspicious.”

A cause for the barn fire was never determined, Gilfus said.

Mary Ann Sheehan, a resident who lives across the street from the event, said she never had any problems outside of people littering on her property, but she still kept an eye out for individuals passed out in her yard.

The village police often responded to calls from residents who said someone had passed out on their front lawn, or from visitors who ended up stranded because they were too drunk to drive home, Gilfus said.

Despite the presence of alcohol, no major crimes had been reported within the village limits for the past couple years, Gilfus said, due to the increased staffing supplied by the state police and sheriff's office, in addition to the private security provided by Galaxy Communications.

But Jones said it was only a matter of time before someone got seriously hurt or killed at the K-Rockathon.

“Weedsport is not capable of providing the security for an event this big,” Jones said. “They should move the fest to the Syracuse fairgrounds. I think that would be an excellent idea.”

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net