Nita Settina, Maryland Park Service Superintendent, speaks at an 2017 event in Dorchester County. (Courtesy of C-Span)

Dean Hughes, the state parks official who was accused of harassing female workers and intimidating staffers during his time as assistant manager at Maryland’s largest state park, is “no longer employed” with the Department of Natural Resources, a spokesman said Friday.

The Maryland natural resources secretary on Wednesday responded to calls for an independent investigation into Gunpowder Falls State Park — where the longtime park manager was recently indicted on charges of raping two employees following years of complaints about a toxic work environment — by stating that she had taken “appropriate actions to address the situation.”

A state parks official has resigned as president of the Maryland Rangers Association following accusations that he harassed a fellow employee at Gunpowder Falls State Park, where he was assistant park manager.

Two Maryland lawmakers on Wednesday called for an independent review of the state Department of Natural Resources’ handling of repeated complaints of bullying, harassment and intimidation at Gunpowder Falls State Park under longtime manager Michael J. Browning, who now faces rape charges.

A Baltimore County grand jury this week indicted Michael J. Browning, the longtime manager of Gunpowder Falls State Park, on charges of rape, sexual assault and other offenses stemming from alleged attacks on a former employee and another woman who worked at the park, according to court documents.

The longtime manager of Gunpowder Falls State Park wielded so much power that it was called “The Kingdom.” More than a dozen current and former employees now describe a reign marked by bullying, intimidation, harassment and favoritism.

The state parks official charged with repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a young female employee at Gunpowder Falls State Park met her when she was a teenager participating in a 4-H Club program led by his wife at their Baldwin home, according to Baltimore County police.

The suspect, Michael Browning, 71, later helped the woman get a seasonal ranger job at Gunpowder Falls State Park and the two began a consensual sexual relationship in 2016, according to charging documents filed in Baltimore County District Court. She was in her early 20s at the time, prosecutors said.