CELBURNE -- When Harold Gentry and Alden Nellis started combing through Cleburne School District records and finding questionable expenses, they knew it would ruffle feathers, but death threats in the mail?

One of the letters read:

You are dead meat. We know where you and your family work. Watch who is behind you.

And that wasn’t the first such letter. There was another one last year when their complaints triggered a state investigation of the school districts books.

Last month, in their preliminary report, the auditors questioned more that $300,000 in expenditures, more than 40% of the total costs they inspected. That appears to have led to the latest threat.

“Nothing has happened so far, but the police say that doesn’t mean anything,” said Nellis.

Police say the letter could lead to criminal charges, either harassment, or terroristic threat.

“We are going to send the letter to have some forensic tests done on it, see what evidence we are able to get there,” said Sgt. Amy Knall, Cleburne Police.

Cleburne school officials issued a statement saying they are dismayed by these threatening letters. They don’t condone them and have nothing to do with them, but they are supporting police in the effort to find out who's behind them.

But if the letter writer thinks he's scaring the two men off, he's wrong. “Things like this only inspire me to go on,” said Nellis.

E-mail greaves@wfaa.com