Finally, in September of that year, Patty was arrested. Despite claiming she'd been brainwashed, she was convicted of armed robbery on 20 March 1976 and was sentenced to seven years in prison in the "trial of the century". However, it's since been understood that she was likely a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, where captives bond with kidnappers to survive.

Patty described being locked in a closet for 57 days, deprived of sleep and food, blindfolded, and in constant fear of being killed. She also recounted being raped. After serving nearly two years in prison, President Carter commuted her sentence. In 2001, President Clinton granted her a pardon.