ConnectWise President David Bellini Takes Leave of Absence -

ConnectWise President David Bellini has taken a leave of absence from the IT management software company, according to statement from the Tampa, Fla.-based firm today.

Updated February 15, 2018, 11:23 a.m. ET: David Bellini's name has been cleared and he faces no charges related to a recent arrest.
Original February 12 report continues below

In a prepared statement, Jason Magee, chief operations officer for ConnectWise, said:

"On February, 11, 2018 ConnectWise executive management became aware that David Bellini, co-founder and President of International, is facing health issues associated with the use of prescription and non-prescription pain medications. David has been suffering chronic pain for several years and has unfortunately fallen prey to overuse of these substances, resulting in potential charges – the outcome of which we cannot predict.
Our hearts go out to David and his children during this difficult time. The entire ConnectWise family looks forward to David’s return to health and well-being.
David will be taking an indefinite leave from the company. In the meantime, Gregg Lalle, VP of International Sales, will continue in his role as the executive sales leader for our International Division. He will report to Arnie Bellini in that capacity.
The ConnectWise executive team is broad and deep. We will continue delivering on our vision to provide the industry’s most comprehensive software ecosystem for technology teams."

The "potential charges" to which Magee refers involve David Bellini's drug-related arrest on Sunday in Tampa. He was released on his own recognizance on Monday, according to Tampa police.

David and brother Arnie Bellini co-founded ConnectWise in 1982 as an IT consulting firm. The company spun-off a sister company -- focused on IT automation software -- in the 1990s. More recently, the company has acquired and built a suite of software to help MSPs and technology solutions providers automate their businesses and manage customers' IT systems.